Special New Year's Message to new and returning shape note singers,
If you've been wondering what this style of singing is all about, you are cordially invited to a special session this Sunday, January 8, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in McCullough / Mitchell Green Lounge, Old Chapel Way, at Middlebury College.
Do you like group singing? Shape note singing is perhaps the oldest American community singing tradition. It started in rural New England over two centuries ago and spread to the rural towns of the mid-West and the deep South, and now across North America, Europe, and Asia.
How does it work? Singers sit in parts – treble, tenor, bass, and alto – on four sides of a hollow square. We face and sing to each other, making it a very sociable musical experience. It's easy to learn as you sing with your part. It's called shape-note because the notes of the scale are indicated by distinctive shapes and names.
We sing from the Sacred Harp song book (fasola.org). Loaner books are available. Our sessions are free and open to all. No experience is required. No auditions or rehearsals. We emphasize participation, not performance.
Why do we sing? As Heidi Champney once said, "people who sing together, breathe together. They share the same spirit." We simply love to sing together. All are welcome. Please come to sing or to listen; leave whenever you wish.
Directions: Mitchell Green Lounge is on the top floor of the McCullough Student Center on Old Chapel Road at Middlebury College. It is accessible by stairs and elevator. Parking is available at adjacent parking lots. Enter from Route 125/College St. or Route 30/S. Main St.
Contact: FaceBook/Middlebury Shape Note Singers, MiddleburyShapeNote@gmail.com or David Rosenberg, rosenber@middlebury.edu, 802-989-4387.
Nov 26, 2024, 7 PM
Grief Share Discussion GroupNov 28, 2024, 5:30 PM
Annual Holiday Shoppe and Craft FairNov 30, 2024, 9 AM to 3 PM