Being an avid choral singer and deeply appreciative of the role of music in worship, I have been searching around the internet for reliable information on the question of the safety of singing in church in COVID times. I have come across two things that might be valuable to United Church congregations (and others as well) as their leaders ponder how to safely bring back choral music to in person worship.
Below is a link to a recently published scientific article called Safer Singing During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: What We Know and What We Don’t. An extremely comprehensive review of all potentially helpful research results, the authors point out that at this point in time, there is too much that requires further study in order to offer a definitive answer as to absolutely what is safe. There is, however, in the final part of the article a list of a number of ways to reduce the risk of viral transmission when singing is done in church.
Another place to find useful food for thought on the question is a link on the web site of an American organization devoted to fostering choral music as a worship resource: Sing! The Center for Congregational Song.
Hoping this information can be made available to as many people as possible who might find it useful,
- Carolyn Cronk
[Please note that both of these resources are based in the U.S.]