At Fircroft, We Sing: Introducing Communal Singing as a New Traditional Practice at Fircroft College of Adult Education

This short article gives an account of introducing the tradition of communal singing to Fircroft College of Adult Education in Birmingham, UK. Fircroft is an adult residential college and has its roots in the Danish folk high school movement. Communal singing is a strong tradition of this movement, but the practice has not been used in Fircroft for many years. During the academic year 2023-24, we incorporated this practice as a new tradition in the college. Here, we explain the reasons for introducing the tradition and reflect on our experiences, including identifying the challenges of developing truly inclusive collective practices.