thumb|[[Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star sign sung in Makaton]]
thumb|[[Music video for French-language song La petite Clémence featuring French-Sign-Language singing]]
Sign singing or karaoke signing is singing using sign language. Typically a song is played, and the performer expressively performs a sign language version of the lyrics. Whereas vocal singing uses pitch and tone to convey expressions, sign singing relies on the performer's hands, body, and facial expressions.
Choirs can perform sign singing and have gathered popularity in recent years as accessibility for the Deaf community and interest in signing languages have risen. Competitions in which sign choirs can compete include the National Signing Choir Competition in the UK. The signing club depicted in the film was largely inspired by a sign singing club that was previously established at Preston High School (Idaho), where the movie was filmed. The film brought wider attention to the club, originally called The Good Hands Club, which was founded by educator Dan Robertson, who conceived the idea for the group while studying ASL at Brigham Young University. In 2013, the troupe performed on stages at Disneyland, in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and flew to Orlando for the convention of a large corporation.
The national anthem was sung and signed in British Sign Language at the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics
by The Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children.
The 2015 Broadway musical theater production of Spring Awakening integrated American sign language within the choreography of dance moves, while also utilizing a mixture of hearing and deaf performers.
See also
- Types of choirs