Back in December of last year (2023), we announced the fact that we’d be incorporating British Sign Language (BSL) in to the chorus of one of our new songs.
At Love Soul Choir, we’re on a mission to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. For individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, BSL is their primary means of communication, enabling them to express themselves, engage with others, and access information. BSL plays a crucial role in enhancing communication and fostering inclusivity in everyday interactions.
We feel like our performances bring joy to so many so why not try to make our performances more accessible and therefore spread this joy to more people, right?
Singing complex harmony lines whilst also executing on epic dance moves is already pretty challenging so adding BSL to this, in a meaningful way, was something that needed to be executed in an intentional and manageable way.
BSL is not just a direct translation of English. It’s a distinct language with its own grammar, syntax and cultural nuances. Achieving accuracy in BSL translation involves more than just conveying the literal meaning of words. This is why we needed to reach out to a professional to help us out. We worked with Lily Holmes (a Level 3 BSL Student) to help us with the task of translating the chorus of the song.
The song in question is ‘I Will Get There’, originally by Boyz II Men. The first line of the chorus is the song title and the word ‘there’ in this context is not referring to a physical location. This is why a literal translation would not be suitable. When Lily translated the song for us, we’re actually signing the phrase ‘I can do it’ instead of ‘I will get there’. We found this learning in itself really interesting.
It’s one thing to have a group of people signing together at the same time but to be singing and dancing as well, in time with the music, was another challenge to strive for. When creating the movement for this song, our choir leader, Dan Cooper, needed to find a way for the BSL to work together with all of this in an achievable way.
Lily says; “I think more than ever, sign language is just becoming so important to include in things like entertainment and I think that it being involved in Love Soul Choir, being included in just fantastic. Sign language is great. I once saw it at a festival and I thought, gosh, it’s just like dance and I thought it was beautiful. Sign language only got recognised as an official language in 2022. It’s important now, more than ever, that we include it and I think that Love Soul Choir has opened that gate for people to learn and become intrigued and become more educated about the deaf community.”
We’ve recently finished learning this song at our sessions and it’s already starting to come together. We’re looking forward to refining and polishing the song before its debut at our Winter Show this December.
Sometimes, timing can be funny. Before we announced this news, as part of our end of year membership survey, one members said:
“I grew up in a deaf family with my dad, aunt, cousins and grandad all wearing hearing aids. Technology has moved on so much and now they can tune phones and other devices straight through their Cochlear Implants. Years ago, it wasn’t like this but the thing that has always bought me and my dad together is music. The more I have learned about singing and harmonies from Love Soul Choir, the more I understand why we would have this brilliant connection. However hard it’s been for my dad to hear, he’s always felt the music. It’s an amazing thing to now realise. He loves coming to watch us perform and I think we are the closest we have ever been.”
We’re always looking to connect with our audiences, and we are excited to be able to engage with the deaf community on a deeper level due to the implementation of BSL at Love Soul Choir this year.
Being part of a choir is such a powerful thing and our IAA (I’m An Ally) Programme is built upon an aim and goal of becoming a more genuinely inclusive and accepting choir for all.
You can learn more about BSL by clicking here and if you’d like to catch our first ever performance of this song, tickets to our Winter Show are available by clicking here.
