Rebecca A Withey: It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for signed song! (BSL)

Schools love them, theatres adore them and you can bet your bottom dollar that a few celebs or YouTube influencers will bring a few signs out too!

It’s the busiest time of year for me professionally as I often find myself juggling multiple projects at the same time, with most involving signed song or some form of musical theatre.

It’s Christmas after all – the season to be merry! – and the joy humans find in song and dance is a universal one that has lasted all these years.

Deaf people are no strangers to taking part in these traditions either, a recent trip to a deaf centre found me being sign-sung to by a group of deaf OAPs who knew every word to Bing Crosbys White Christmas!

So, from October onwards you can bet my diary is chockablock full of rehearsals, performances or tuition for Christmas hymns, carols and classic songs.

However, in this day and age it worries me how so many people are joining on the signed song bandwagon without even being fluent in the language.

Don’t get me wrong – anyone can enjoy signed song and it really is a fun way to practice using signs. But if you’re planning to perform for an audience or teach – you really do need to check the accuracy of the signs you’re using.

I once saw a version of Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer online and was shocked to see it signed more closely to the words “Pig, the red nose rabbit!”

It is also rather sad to see the viral trend of English based / makaton sign songs hitting a wider audience than say classic BSL hymns performed by deaf artists such as Nadia Nadarajah or Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford.

So – this Christmas season I have a few pointers for you if you’re planning to surrender to the signed song bug:

• Be sure to check out performances taking place by deaf UK sign song artists. These performers will have the most experience in their field and are also fluent sign language users. We are fortunate to have a real wealth of deaf artists in the UK including; Nadia and Mary-Jayne (mentioned above,) Colin Thomson, Signkid, Caroline Parker, Martyn Kenyon, Vilma Jackson, Fletch@, Sarah Adadeji and more. Follow them online, attend live shows and support the deaf talent responsible for developing this art form.
• If you are working on a theatre production and would like to include signed song, be sure to employ a BSL consultant who can support this or at least point you in the direction. A call out on social media for the right person will usually do the job if you aren’t personally recommended to someone.
• If you’re intending to learn sign language but don’t know where to start, make sure you check out certified BSL courses. A good starting point is https://www.signature.org.uk to find out about courses near you.
• You may even find some charitable sign choir performances taking place across the country which raise money for a specific cause. Whilst a lot of sign choirs consist of all hearing members and there are genuine concerns about cultural appropriation in the deaf community, some choirs such as Affinity in the Midlands actually work with a deaf patron to ensure their performances are as authentic and accurate as possible.

There has long been a debate as to whether signed song is a valid part of deaf culture, yet with the growing numbers of deaf BSL users taking part and enjoying it, I’m optimistic that we are leaning towards a more creative period in the history of this art form.

So, what are you waiting for? There has never been a more exciting time for signed song with the rise of music videos and influencers using sign online. Get those Christmas jumpers out the wardrobe and start picking your favourite tunes to sign along to, pronto!

The only thing I ask you to remember is, of course that signed song is for life, not just for Christmas!

Unify – an all deaf sign performance group – will be releasing a Christmas music video next month. You can follow our news @Unifysignperformers across social media.