Shape note singing — Minnesota

Welcome to the Shape Note Singing community of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul areas!

Shape Note Singing is a unique form of  musical expression that originated in colonial North America. Here are just a few things that make this musical tradition unique:

  • We are not a choir. We do not have auditions. We sing for ourselves and for each other.
  • All songs are sung a cappella (with no instruments.)
  • Singers sit facing each other across a “hollow square” and take turns leading songs.
  • The music is printed with notes of different shapes, each shape corresponds to a syllable: fa, sol, la, or mi.
  • Participants are free to (and do) sing loudly!
  • No musical experience or religious affiliation is required to sing with us.

Feel free to join us! Check the schedule page to see when we sing, and join our email list. Come and go to each singing as you please. There are no official membership or attendance requirements. The “group” is made up of the singers who attend on any given session. Copies of the Sacred Harp tunebook are available to borrow during the singings.

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