A SONG school where everyone can find their voice is planned for Okehampton later this year, writes Laura Joint. From the latest darling of the British folk scene, to numerous amateurs who loves to sing, the Baring-Gould Song School has played a part in the development of hundreds of singers up and down the country. The annual week-long school is run by Wren Music. Communal support and encouragement combine to create an ideal environment for honing vocal and performance skills. This year's event runs from October 27 to 31, and the visiting tutor is Janet Russell. Janet has always sung, ever since her early childhood in Scotland, where she learned the poems and songs of Robert Burns from her father. Armed with a degree in one hand and a love of singing in the other, Janet plumped for a career in music and is probably best known for her work with Sisters Unlimited. Some 25 years later, they are still performing, even though Janet has lived for most of those years with her family in Yorkshire – her partner is Jim Woodland, of the Fabulous Salami Brothers. Janet also does a lot of work with choirs and runs workshops. Wren's connection with Janet and the song school goes back a long way. Both Jim and Janet have worked with Wren at different times, and Janet has been a member of the Natural Voice Practitioners for over 15 years – Wren's musical director Paul Wilson is also a member. The song school is for anyone and everyone who enjoys singing. Janet, who has worked with degree students at Newcastle University, says there's no need to worry about what level you're at: 'I'm a firm believer that everybody can sing. There is an infinitesimal number that don't have any pitch at all, but that is extremely unusual. Bear in mind, if you can talk with expression, then you can hear pitch. 'I'm used to working with lots of mixed ability groups and I think the week is going to be quite reactive, responding to what people would like. We can also talk around any problems that people have with solo singing and if they have things they think they'd like to improve on. We can have one to one tutorials and I can suggest a few possible solutions to them.' One of the singers who walked through the doors of the Baring-Gould Song School some years ago is Sam Lee, who is now a Mercury Prize nominated folk singer and song collector. 'It was about eight years ago and I was absolutely brand new at that time,' said Sam. 'I had never really sung before and I had very limited knowledge of folk music. I got so much out of it. It was a brilliant introduction to the art of singing – the history behind it, the interpretation, the arrangement, and there was so much about the respect for the tradition. At the same time it was modern and I was introduced to a community that was forward thinking, progressive and liberal-minded. Wren capture the sense of community around music really well.' Singer-songwriter Stew Simpson has written a show, Hyem, featuring traditional coal mining songs from his native north-east — but he says it would never have happened without Wren Music and the Baring-Gould Song School. Stew, who used to play in rock bands, said working with Wren changed his life musically. Stew said: 'The strangest thing happened. They listened to me singing some of my songs and said 'Oh, you've got a great voice, but why are you singing in an American accent?' Well, I had no idea that I was! So they suggested I talked through the song and then added the notes – and all of a sudden I was singing with my own Newcastle voice. 'I went to the school because I wanted to meet some nice people and learn to sing a bit better and to control my voice. But I also wanted to be able to explore the music from my own region in the north-east. 'The change as a result has been monumental. Without it, I'd probably still be just bobbing along. If it hadn't been for Wren Music, I wouldn't even know about coal-mining songs or knowledge of my own roots — I had to go to Devon to learn about Geordie songs! And I wouldn't have had a respected label asking me to do a traditional folk album.' Janet said: 'Here's a big interest in singing – and so there should be. It's so accessible because you don't actually need anything. Everybody should be able to entertain one another by singing and dancing.' The Baring-Gould Song School can take around 25 people. For more information and to book your place, visit the website http://www.baring-gould.co.uk/index.php/song-school.html">www.baring-gould.co.uk/index.php/song-school.html