The Visual Culture of Sacred Harp
Singing school
While constantly singing about life and death certainly merits a “skull” motif, the enfolding Ivy seems to be a sly reference to the new 2025 Edition of the Sacred Harp, heralded by trumpeting angels.
Poster design by Tom Tian.
Note, added 4 May 2026: As discussed with the artist in Portland OR, the foliage represents grape leaves, rather than ivy.
From the Rocky Mount Primitive Baptist Church in Daviston, Alabama, home of the annual Elder Roy Avery Memorial Singing.
This chalkboard has been used to teach singing schools since at least the 1960s, and is said to be in the hand of Elder Roy Avery (1906-1999) and his youngest daughter, Mary Jean Payne (1938-2017). It sits in the rear of the sanctuary behind the last pew, but has legs to stand it up, and is brought to the front when in use.
As teaching boards go, this is very “busy,” and there’s an unusual emphasis on key signatures (an alto clef, even!), and the letters of the lines and spaces. On close inspection, it has a wealth of information. In traditional manner, it was used to point out the notes on the scale as the students sang the shapes.
The current Chair of the Elder Roy Avery Singing (second Sunday in February), Charlotte S. Bishop, says that it occasionally has to be rechalked when something fades, or is accidentally brushed away. When the local singers were younger they had singing school all day for a week or two each summer. Later, it was two to three hours nightly for two weeks.
“Teaching Boards” are an in important instrument to transmit shape note singing technique, as well as the culture of singing school. Singing schools date back to colonial America, and are still very much alive today.
Here are some more examples of “teaching boards.”
