A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States.
Historically, singing schools have been strongly affiliated with Protestant Christianity. Some are held under the auspices of particular Protestant denominations that maintain a tradition of a cappella singing, such as the Church of Christ and the Primitive Baptists. Others are associated with Sacred Harp, Southern Gospel, and similar singing traditions, whose music is religious in character but is sung outside the context of church services.
Often the music taught in singing schools uses shape note notation, in which the notes are assigned particular shapes to indicate their pitch. There are two main varieties of shape note systems: the four-note, or fasola, system used in Sacred Harp music, and the seven-note system used in southern gospel music. Some churches, including some Baptist churches (though fewer and fewer), use hymnals printed in shape notes.
While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal programs.
Read more about Singing School: History, Curriculum, List of Singing Masters, List of Singing Schools
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