Access and attitudes

Attitudes and mutual respect

We are a bunch of people who come together by choice with the shared aim of making music together. There is no selection committee, no screening, no requirements other than being pleasant, tolerant, and respectful towards each other. 

We have very little interest in people’s ability, employment status, gender, education, politics, religion, or anything else. All we care about is that our singers be kind.

Manchester Sacred Harp is an inclusive community. If you come to sing with us, please be respectful of different people’s needs, boundaries, and beliefs.

The noise we make

We sing loudly and it can make a big noise. People with hearing impairment may struggle with distortion/ pain. Wearing ear defenders to dampen the volume may help some people. Others may find the volume and the vibration useful.

So you’ll probably just have to take the plunge and see how you find it. 

If hearing loss means you’ve lost confidence that you’ll get every note perfect when you sing, you’ll be in good company! Sacred Harp is incredibly forgiving of wrong notes and wrong words… if there are enough singers doing it more or less right, the overall effect is one of a rich, raw harmony. If not – who cares?!

Visibility and light levels

Access to Sacred Harp singing is probably hardest for blind people. As yet there is no Braille version (despite global efforts to find a way to make it workable). There are blind singers within the community though, and we can try to link you up with someone to discuss it.

If you’re visually impaired you may struggle with the size of the text and, in the pub, the poor light levels. If it may help you, bring reading glasses, a clip-on torch and/or magnifier. 

The music is available in digital format. This may help or hinder, but it’s worth a try. Use the Sacred Harp Bremen website to study songs in advance. You can hear each part sung accurately, if weirdly, by a robot to help you learn by ear: Click here for the list of songs in digital format

An invitation to say what you need

Sacred Harp is a tradition and there are elements of ritual and unwritten rules, which can be difficult for all of us to pick up on. How are you meant to know if no-one tells you? 

If you find unwritten rules or social cues particularly stressful, please don’t worry too much. You can either tell us in advance that you’d like more of an explanation of what to expect, or just ask there and then if you’re feeling anxious about something. 

Be aware – but not anxious – that any of us may ask for what we need. For example, if one of the singers needs us all to be quiet whilst they try to find the key to pitch the song, they will tell us to shut up. 

If you need anything repeating, don’t be shy. You’ll often hear someone shout out “what number song is it?” if they didn’t hear. And if you want an explanation of anything, just wait until the gap between songs or the break, and ask. 

You’re in charge of your own self-care: if you need to wear ear defenders, wear them. If you need time out, take it. Being part of a community can be consuming. It requires careful communication which can be intense. If you are willing to explain what you need to assist us to help you, we will do our best to accommodate you.

Physical access to our regular spaces

Physical access to our regular singing spaces is best at The Whitworth. It is a public art gallery, and access is great.

The rooms are huge with loads of space to manoeuvre, the venue is wheelchair accessible throughout, the accessible toilets are good, and the staff are helpful and welcoming. There are some parking spaces on Denmark Street for Blue Badge holders.  Click here for The Whitworth’s access page

The Kings Arms is an old pub with a youthful attitude. It’s vibrant, friendly and can get busy. Physical access at The Kings Arms is largely ok if you’re ambulant disabled, but difficult if you’re a wheelchair user. 

The toilets and bar are on the ground floor. There is no wheelchair-accessible toilet. 

There is one stone step to enter the pub and uneven stone flooring on ground level. The Snug is the first room on the left. It has a stone floor.

We sing seated, arranged in a square around wooden tables which fill the centre of the room. Tenors and altos sit on upholstered stools, basses and trebles on the two room-length upholstered benches which are fixed. We have the tables in front of us so we can rest our books and beers. There’s not really anywhere else for the tables to go. We can move them around but not take them out of the room.

We have a regular booking for the ground floor Snug, but very occasionally we’ve been moved to a room upstairs without notice. The upstairs room is problematic for anyone who is ambulant disabled: it is at the top of a single flight of quite steep steps. So if you need to know for sure in advance, please drop us a line and we’ll be happy to contact the venue to explain our needs and request that we definitely stay downstairs

Physical access to one-off spaces

We do try to be open to everyone, and considerate of the potential needs of people joining us. In most instances we make a point of only arranging singings in spaces with good access and an ethos that we’re comfortable with.

We believe we have a responsibility to make our larger singings accessible to as many people’s needs as possible.

However, we’re a small group of people, none of whom are paid or ‘in charge’ and operating almost entirely without budget, so we do occasionally say yes to singing somewhere which does not have great access for everyone. Outdoor spaces, people’s own homes, walking tours where we go from one host venue to another with a journey in between, and historic buildings will all typically have poor provision for disabled people.

We can’t promise everything will be open to everyone, but for the smaller or one-off singings, we will endeavour to provide as much information as possible and be honest in describing the potential limitations or challenges, so you’re forearmed with what to expect.

And, should you need more detail, we welcome your questions: