Ole Miss Hand Band Performs Holiday Hits

OXFORD, Miss. – Dozens of Ole Miss Hand Band members drew a crowd of spectators as they performed holiday hits outside the Pavilion using a combination of music, choreography and American Sign Language.

The Ole Miss Hand Band is a group of students from Ole Miss with a passion for sign language. The concept of learning sign language to songs is a practical, but fun approach to acquire sign language skills. Not only must everyday vocabulary be learned for these songs, but also fluency skills are gained immediately. The songs do not slow down the pace in order to accommodate the beginning signer. The signer is immediately forced to increase the rate and fluency of their expressive signing.

The Hand Band also takes their show on the road. The members learn several different songs each semester and perform at various events, such as banquets, conferences, football games and local assisted living facilities.

Anyone can join Hand Band at any time. New songs are continually being taught and new members are joining with each performance. Interested participants do not need to know sign language to join. Those  interested in joining the Hand Band or having them perform at an event can contact Rebecca Lowe or Ronda Bryan at the University of Mississippi Speech and Hearing Center by phone at (662) 915-7271 or e-mail at csd@olemiss.edu.

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Photos by Ole Miss Communications/Kevin Bain; Video by School of Applied Sciences/Sarah Sapp