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New Book Green Nails, ASAP


Please enjoy two tales of Shapenote Lacqueristas and their quests to match the 2025 The Sacred Harp

The color of the 2025 Sacred Harp was the last detail to be unveiled about our new book. This was obviously meant to torture  people like me (June) who enjoy matching their nails to various objects: roses, rocks, the Chicago River etc. I arrived to the opening symposium optimistically armed with a variety of purple polishes, but alas we were handed gorgeous green books 

As soon as the last notes of Lisbon rang out to conclude the rapturous opening session, I was off. I raced to the nearest CVS and after a tornadic search, I found the perfect bottle of New Book Green. 

It’s called Serene Green

On the way back to the church venue, I sat down on a bench in front of a courthouse, gathered all my concentration and re-painted my nails. 

my bracelet says “refulgent orb”, thanks Katie

I got to painting fellow singers’ nails the next day. I found fellow nail polish-enjoyer Cooper in the entryway. 

I furiously painted three or four sets of hands during the first break on Saturday. Throughout the convention, I got to adorn about a dozen singers’ nails. It was a real honor.

Pattie took this picture of the NPR fella trying to interview me. I was far too focused to say anything interesting 

Now, not all people are quite as prepared as June, arriving with an array of purple polish possibilities.  I (Michaela, hi) decided to paint my two color bets on each ring finger nail – nice bright red or forest green.  I would either win or lose this bet and the stakes were high: 

Indeed, at the Friday symposium of the Revision singing in Atlanta, I did not have to [redacted].  I received my lovely 2025 and thought yippee! My green matches pretty darn well!  Good enough!

I was flying high for a period of time, but ultimately was not satisfied.  The green was close… close, but no cigar.  I needed to have that cigar. 

So, I went to a local nail salon at the start of the Saturday social, which was held in a large indoor/outdoor plaza.  I enter with book in hand, slap it down on the table and meticulously choose the green and the gold.  The nail tech did an excellent job – it lasted for 6 weeks!!  

Thank you for reading! Please send June all shapenote nails and consider participating in the LaRue Allen Memorial Toenail Painting Contest (FaToeLa) at camp.

Singing School in Portland, 2026

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.

Shape Note License Plates

Several singers have license plates related to shape note singing. “FASOLA” is a common plate, but some singers also have references to specific songs. I’d love to hear if you know of any plates that are references to tune names or to the texts of shape note poetry. I have yet to find any to photograph, but I think they’re out there.

Georgia FASOLA plate
Georgia DOREMI & FASOLA plates together
Georgia DOREMI plate
Michigan FASOLA plate
Plate referencing the Sacred Harp tune on page 149, "The Trumpet"
Maine FASOLA plate

Rise, Rise My Soul

blare coughlin of Montréal has designed a striking poster to promote the Sacred Harp All-Day Singing there in July.

A bird of music under the heavenly vault rises above the city of Montréal to bring peace in the form of olive branches. A warm glow spreads across multiple panels. with the sun and the moon, the city bordering the St Lawrence, and an open book. Hymn texts complete the scene and add context.

Teaching Board at Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount PBC, Daviston AL

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.”

Lauren Bock
Eva Striebeck, Bremen, Germany
Camp FaSoLa
Lauren Bock
Camp FaSoLa T-shirt, 2016; Lauren Bock

Stenciled Books

Here’s another post about personalizing our new books: The Sacred Harp, 2025 Edition.

The Publishing Company agreed to subsidize loaner books for singing groups as long as they were permanently marked as such. You can spot the Utah books by the divot taken out of the LA!

Practical and graphic decisions had to be made to make the books easily distinguishable.

The last picture is a singer’s personal copy, stenciled with a unique design so that it can easily be identified in a crowded room.

New Orleans All-Day

Publicity poster by Holly Taylor for all-day singing in New Orleans, 31 Jan & 1 Feb, 2026.

A “peaceable kingdom” menagerie appears to have gathered to sing from a tune book in a local building. The somber border looks more like a graveyard, an appropriate New Orleans setting.

This particular weekend event will morph from a traditional all-day format on Saturday to a “Queer Gathering” on Sunday, welcoming all the varied participants to join in mutual support and celebration.

Are they trying to wake the dragon?

Pottery

Many of us have seen these or have one at home. Barb Lund of Indiana skillfully makes these useful mugs, and lavishly adorns them with the shapes.

I bet they are still available from Barb, to remind us of the Shape Note community with our coffee each morning .

Photo: Shawn C Taylor