THE Bradford Area of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is hoping to give a singing voice to local churches.

It is organising a day course for worship leaders, lay or ordained, to help them find new ways of bringing music to their congregations.

Lift Up Your Voice will be held St Mary’s Church, Conistone, on Saturday, May 16, and will be led by Rosemary Field, the RSCM’s head of education, who as a former diocesan music adviser.

She said: “There are many churches across the UK where there is simply no-one to lead their music – neither a player nor a singer. But for at least half of our Christian history we have sung unaccompanied in any key that we fancy, learnt by ear. It can’t be impossible to do something.”

The course offers participants the skills and resources they need to encourage singing in their congregations. It includes s a selection of songs and ready-made service outlines for use by lay people.

Rosemary added: “I’m appealing to readers, to clergy, to anyone who leads worship to find out what simple music they could use, and some forms of service which particularly the ‘non-priest’ might find useful, such as the special services at Easter."

A short video outlining the course can be seen at youtube.com/rscmcentre.

The event will run from 10am to 4pm and costs £20. For more information or to book, visit rscm.com/courses or telephone 01722 424843.