Use of Auslan in choirs - cultural, linguistic and COVID-safe teaching guidance

Oct 15, 2026

Response to COVID-era bans on singing and wind/brass performance drove music teachers to consider Auslan choirs as an end-of-year substitute. Auslan is shown as culturally significant for the Deaf community, with limited direct relation to English, meaning songs cannot be interpreted correctly without experienced language users. The text emphasizes that misappropriation is prevented by involving the Deaf community and following cultural protocols; otherwise, Auslan and Auslan choirs should not be used in schools or community settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and context

Using Auslan in school choirs

About Auslan

Auslan vs English

Interpreting songs into Auslan for signing choirs

Unpacking songs and achieving accuracy

Conveying intent, tempo, and emotion

Use of Auslan in choirsand a u s t r a l i a n a s o c i e t y s f o r m u s i c m e d u c a t i o n e i n c o r p o r a t e d music programs Karen Kyriakou Freelance Music Educator and Artist in Residence, Musica Viva Australia Abstract As a response to the ban on singing and playing woodwind and brass instruments, and with the heightened exposure of Auslan interpreters in the media due to COVID reporting, many music teachers considered Auslan choirs to be a safe singingreplacement activity for end-of-year performances. Auslan holds deep cultural significance to the Deaf community who determine how their language is to be used. Auslan has little relationship to English, so interpreting songs correctly is not possible without an experienced user at the centre of this teaching. To protect against misappropriation, understanding the cultural traditions of minority groups requires involving the community directly. Without this, Auslan and Auslan choirs should not be used in schools or the community. Key words: Auslan choir, Auslan and music, Deaf Culture, Music and the deaf The end of the 2020 school year saw music teachers in Victoria scrambling. As if the year hadn’t already presented enough challenges, suddenly performance options for Christmas concerts, graduation ceremonies and end-of-year festivities were hampered with little warning by the State Government’s ban on singing and playing wind and brass instruments. Our ever-resourceful music teachers, already stretched from an unpredictable year of teaching online, were looking for creative and safe ways to involve students in their end-of-year celebrations and musical performances. Under such circumstances, it was not too big a stretch for many music teachers, especially those teaching in primary schools, to consider using Auslan (Australian Sign Language) in their choirs asa singing-replacement activity for students, while still adhering to governmental COVID-safe plans. There was a significant increase in Auslan’s presence both on social media and in the mainstream media during 2020, starting with the horrendous bushfires and then COVID. This increased exposure led to Auslan courses nation-wide having higher than usual enrolments, with many quickly filling to capacity. Teachers considering using Auslan in their school programs should be aware of the deep cultural significance this language has to the Australian Deaf community and respect the wishes of that community on how they choose to have their language used and shared. Using Auslan outside the Deaf community is not a straight-forward process, with important cultural and linguistic protocols to be addressed before its use is deemed appropriate. For the past 11 years, I have been working asa music teacher at a Deaf school in Melbourne through a residency program supported by Musica Viva Australia. To do my job effectively, I needed to learn Auslan to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing students and staff, and it would be more than fair to say I am still learning. However, as the Deaf community is not primarily my cultural community, it would not be appropriate that I speak out on their behalf on this topic. Although this article has been read and accepted by members of the Deaf community as accurately representing their cultural views, I write to my music-teaching community as a music teacher sharing my knowledge and personal experience with Auslan. What is Auslan? Auslan is the native sign language of the Deaf community in Australia. Each country has its own sign language, for example BSL (British Sign Language) in the UK and ASL in America.‘Auslan’should not be written using ‘all capitals’. As a cultural group, it is appropriate to use a capital‘D’ when referring to a Deaf person from the Deaf community. A small ’d’ represents the physical condition of being deaf, not the cultural group of people. Those who identify as part of the Deaf community will largely use Ausl

FAQs

Why did music teachers consider Auslan choirs during the 2020 COVID period?

State government bans on singing and playing wind and brass instruments limited traditional performance options, so teachers looked for safe, creative alternatives for end-of-year events.

What is the cultural requirement when using Auslan outside the Deaf community?

Respect the Deaf community’s wishes and involve the community directly, since important cultural and linguistic protocols must be addressed to avoid misappropriation.

Why can’t songs be straightforwardly translated from English into Auslan?

Songs must be unpacked, and Auslan interpretation depends on linguistic accuracy and meaning of words rather than literal English translation; idioms, imagery, and metaphors cannot be directly transferred.

Oct 15, 2026

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