Science

Joint Statement on Continued Safety Measures During the Holiday Season

Chorus America, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) have collaborated since the beginning of the pandemic to provide our members with the best and most current guidance from the CDC, as well as the latest research on singing and COVID-19. As we convene this winter to share cheer through song, it is crucial that health and safety continue to be at the forefront of organizing. We urge individuals and groups to appropriately assess the personal and organizational risk factors of operating in

An Interview with Conductor Amelia Nagoski

Sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski are the authors of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, a book that explores how we experience stress physically, mentally, and emotionally, and what strategies we can use to process it, both inside and out. In exploring this topic, the sisters bring to bear their own perspectives, Emily as a researcher with a PhD in health behavior and Amelia as a choral conductor.

New CDC Guidelines: Reactions from Medical Professionals with Performing Arts Advisory Experience

The CDC’s updated guidance for fully vaccinated people (released May 13) includes the news that singing in an indoor chorus without masks is now considered a “safest” activity for those vaccinated.

Alongside research into treatment of COVID-19, scientists around the world are conducting studies that are identifying the most effective ways to avoid contracting the virus when people choose to be near each other. Across the country, several choruses are applying some of these findings in an effort to develop safe ways to resume a behavior the pandemic has made especially risky: singing together in the same space. This story examines ways they are approaching the challenge and lessons they are learning

The novel coronavirus will be with us in North America for some time. In order to help guide choruses as they make plans to resume operations as safely and with the most information at hand as possible, Chorus America will continue to gather resources and collaborate with leading experts to make sense of the latest research and recommendations.

How We Move Forward: Finding a Way Amid Uncertainty and Loss

 
A Letter from Catherine Dehoney

President and CEO, Chorus America

 

Dear friends,

Our community was hit very hard by the information in a webinar presented by Chorus America and some of our colleague organizations on Tuesday, “What Do Science and Data Say about the Near Term Future of Singing.” We’ve heard and read your reactions expressing strong emotions: grief, disbelief, anger, and—in some cases—steely determination to find a way forward. We share those emotions too.

Vijay Gupta is both a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a dedicated advocate for the power of music to change lives and reconnect us to our shared humanity. In 2011, he founded Street Symphony, a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging musicians in performance and dialogue with marginalized communities of people experiencing poverty, homelessness and incarceration. 

Humans have a special ability to learn songs and change them over time—a skill that is useful in treating neurological problems and may help support overall brain health. Researcher Aniruddh D. Patel explains.

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