Shape Note Singing School

What is this? SINGING SCHOOLS ARE A TIME HONORED WAY THAT NEWCOMERS DISCOVER THE EXHUBERANT JOY OF SHAPE NOTE SINGING. This SINGING SCHOOL IS HEAVY ON THE SINGING AND MUCH LIGHTER ON THE HISTORY AND THEORY. Our approach will be to learn by doing.This folk form has been in continuous practice in the U.S. since the late 1700s. The practice has stayed alive and vibrant because it is so much fun! So a successfull introduction to SHAPE NOTE SINGING MUST INCLUDE THE JOYFUL EXPERIENCE! And if you are reading this in advance of a live “SINGING SCHOOL,” perhaps this short video documentary will give you a hint of the intoxicating fun that is SHAPE NOTE SINGING: http://bit.ly/SacredHarpDocumentary [http://bit.ly/SacredHarpDocumentary] Note: This practice is also called “Sacred Harp” singing after the most popular tune book, The Sacred Harp. In this case the sacred harp is the ecstatic music made by our human voices. All singing is done a capella. This singing school is open to any singer. No experience necessary. We’ll have packets of shape note songs for all participants and loaner tunebooks as needed. You can see our group’s website: http://bit.ly/cvilleshapenotehome [http://bit.ly/cvilleshapenotehome] And you can see our facebook page: Charlottesville Sacred Harp Singers What should I bring? Please bring a pot luck dish to share. We’ll break at 6 pm for food and fellowship before resuming our spirited singing. What does it cost? There is no charge, although we’ll take a free-will donation to help our hosts at the Front Porch defray their expenses.