Creating a Makaton Mass: A composition for unison voices and piano to be sung and signed using Makaton

Abstract

This article charts the composition of the Multitude of Voyces’ Makaton Mass, commissioned by the director of Multitude of Voyces, Louise Stewart. This is the first Mass of its kind, devised to be simultaneously sung and signed using the communication programme Makaton. In this article, I propose that to be inclusive, music for worship needs to be all-embracing: straight-forward, but not simplistic, and easily memorable without being twee. Opportunity for congregational participation for both those with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and those without is at the heart of a successful composition of this sort.