Due to the guidelines of wearing a mask that were put in place in 2020-2021, chorus members have found it exceedingly difficult to sing. In order to sing properly, singers need to breathe a certain way, and because of the use of masks to protect from the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, breathing correctly doesn’t come easily. 

   “It is hard to take a breath in, and then it [the mask] is literally touching your lips as you’re moving your lips. So, trying to sing and move your lips while your mouth is being touched by this mask the whole entire time, that’s really difficult,” Choir teacher Arielle Sword said.

   As a guide from the CDC, staying six feet apart from others has had a huge impact on choir students and their ability to hear each other clearly. 

   “For shy singers, distancing would make them feel even less confident because they can’t hear anyone around them, but I also feel there is some advantages of having to distance ourselves— because, when you distance yourself, you hear yourself and are able to fix the things you might need to fix,” Sword said.

   Singing with masks has changed a lot of things for choir students all over the world, like being able to open your mouth wide or tall enough to reach higher notes and get the correct vowels. 

   “I have found that there are different types of masks that are created for singers, and they’re called Renaissance Mask. They come out from your face, and they provide a little bit more space so that way the sound that’s coming out towards the audiences is better,” Sword said.

   Choir teachers continue to try to keep their students the safest they can, while still giving the students as much as a real experience as possible. 

   “If you signed up for choir, and every single day you did written assignments— that’s not choir.  That’s not what you signed up for, and people love to sing and share that experience with each other,” said Sword.