Our group has been shape note singing in the Kaw Valley (northeast Kansas) since 1991. Shape note singing is a very community-oriented, inclusive form of singing. No experience is necessary, and we charge no admission fee or dues. While most of the tunes in the book we sing from (which dates back to the 1840's) are hymns and anthems, we are a cultural, not religion-based organization. Come see what it is about at one of our upcoming events listed below! On the web, you can visit the Sacred Harp Page or the Fasola Home Page to learn more about shape note singing in general.

For more information about our group, or to get on our mailing list or email list you can e-mail or call (785) 749-1356.

Our Upcoming Singing Events

Our regular sings are usually on the first Sunday of the month, with occasional adjustment due to holidays and special events. Our usual location is Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lawrence, but it sometimes varies. Check back here for details on our next sings!

Sunday, July 6
Join us for a first-Sundy sing at a special time and place. The sing will be at the Campanile on the University of Kansas campus. We will sing from 4pm to 5pm. Then our own Lara West, who just became Dr. Lara West (Doctor of Musical Arts) will give a Carillon recital from 5pm to 6pm. There will be tours of the Campanile and Carillon following the recital. Please bring your lawn chairs for seating. As usual, newcomers are welcome and the sing is free.

Directions:
The Campanile is the big tower on KU's campus, just south of the football stadium. On Sunday afternoon, parking is allowed on Memorial Drive, which goes right past the tower. To get to Memorial Drive from I-70, take the East Lawrence exit (204), turn left at the light to head into town, then go straight for a while (including crossing the bridge over the Kansas River), and turn right on 9th Street. From 9th St., turn left on Mississippi at the light. After you pass the art museum on the right, take the 2nd right (the first is a parking lot) and you will be on Memorial Drive. (Memorial Drive is also the last street before the construction blocks the road.) This will take you right past the Campanile; park on the sides of the street.
Questions? phone Brad at 785-749-1356.

Regular Shape-Note Singing Nearby:

What It Sounds Like

To those used to the tight harmonies and polished dynamics of modern and commercial music, shape note singing will sound quite different. It is typically sung full voice (no or very few written dynamics), and tends to have more open harmonies. It is done for the joy of singing, not as a rehearsed performance. Traditionally the first time through a song, we "sing the shapes", singing the fa, sol, la, and mi syllables that go with the four shapes of notes (triangle, oval, rectangle, and diamond) printed in shape note music. (So if we were singing the shapes of the four notes in our logo, we would sing sol fa la mi.) The advantage to singing the shapes the first time through is not needing to look back and forth between the words and the music - the shape of the musical note tells you what to sing.

The following mp3 file from one of our sings in 1998 was chosen not for its quality, but as representative of the tunes and process of shape note singing. It starts with one person giving pitching the tune, since shape note tunes are pitched wherever convenient for the range of those present at a sing. Next, the tune is sung once through singing the shapes, and then it is sung through with the words. As you can hear, a few people started with the words by accident, but quickly corrected themselves. Mistakes happen - we accept them. But we also enjoy when a tune falls into place particularly well. Since we are sitting in a square, with one part singing on each of the sides, it can be very powerful when you hear all four parts coming together full force in harmony.

What We Typically Sing

Some non-shapenote Lawrence music and dance events of interest...

Home Harmonies singing during the holidays to benefit Lawrence Habitat for Humanity.

West Side Folk - Folk Concert Series in the Lawrence, KS area.

Lawrence Barn Dance Association - Contra Dancing in the Lawrence, KS area.

International Folk Dance - in Lawrence, Kansas

For more music and dance in Kansas...

Visit other parts of the Kansas Folk Music and Dance Resource Center at www.kansasfolk.org for information on other Kansas folk and acoustic music, dance, and heritage.