Federation News
12 Aug 2020
Resonance Singers Mask: update
www.mymusicfolders.com/ product/resonance-singers- mask-with-disposable- biofilters/
The Broadway Relief Project, The Singer’s Mask
https://www.
Resources for Choral Professionals During the Pandemic - ACDA
Aug. 10 Webinar by ACDA, NATS, PAMA, Chorus America, and Barbershop Harmony Society
Personal Risk Tolerance Assessment
GA Tech Event Risk Assessment Tool – What does the data say in my locale?
06 June 2020
Dear Church Musicians,
We’ve lived through these past several months with restrictions, fears, many changes, and much yearning to once again worship together. We’ve struggled and mourned being absent from our parishes, from singing, and from fellowship with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, especially our fellow church singers. It has been a time full of uncertainties, sadness, and worries. But now we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, as various communities, including our parishes, have begun the transition to opening up – little by little, we will soon be able to attend the Divine Liturgy and other services of our Church!
But unfortunately, the road for church singers may not come as easily or as quickly – not just for choir members, but also for chanters and even congregations that sing together. Our patience and our yearning could continue to be tried, based on our locations, the directives of our particular hierarchs, and/or our specific parish situations. Regardless, it is prudent for us to be aware of some of the emerging information from scientific studies about the nature of singing with regards to the Covid-19.
The results science is providing to us about the spread of the coronavirus is pretty clear with regards to singing and chanting: the spread and duration of contact with the aerosols is still especially dangerous to us. For the general public, keeping a distance of 6 feet and being masked is being prescribed by public health authorities. But for singers, distances and duration recommendations are very different, and masking may be problematic. In a nutshell, the science is saying that aerosols emitted from singing, like sneezing and loud talking, are expelled for distances further than six feet - up to 20 feet and beyond! In addition, prolonged exposure to aerosols, especially more than 30 minutes and in smaller and more enclosed spaces, increases the risks.
Please take heart, this is not an issue specific just to Orthodox singers, but to choirs and chanters of all denominations, to all community choral groups, Philharmonic choruses, school music classes and choirs, instrumental groups, and beyond. All the major national choral and music education associations are considering these findings in their recommendations to their constituents. All are trying to deal with implications that could add even more time to our isolation from singing together in as positive and solution-oriented ways as possible.
For now, each of our parishes will be moving into the transition period consistent with the recommendations of their local civic and public health authorities, their Metropolitan, and their parish priest and parish council. Of course, church musicians must work within that framework, too. Recognizing that “one size” will not fit all, here are a few suggestions, however, to consider in resolving your own situation – these reflect some of the "best practices" being suggested by various national musical organizations and researchers that may provide some additional guidance about keeping singers healthy and safe:
- For chanters, the safest approach is to chant singularly. Some of our Metropolitans have already recommended using only one chanter per service; others allow for two, provided the second one chant from the other side of the solea to keep distances safe.
- Many choirs may have to move more slowly and give specific attention to increased distance and duration guidelines. Some Metropolitans are recommending no choirs for the present; others have been less specific.
- Safe arrangements for rehearsing will also have to be carefully planned, for distance, space, and duration issues for in-person rehearsals suggest limiting this activity as well.
- The safest approach for congregations may be to refrain from singing, perhaps getting used to sub-singing quietly for a while, and always observing distancing and keeping their masks on.
- No matter the types of singers, people over 65 and those with compromising health issues are wisely being urged to refrain from attending church or singing together a little while longer.
- Keep in mind, all this is temporary – information and conditions are constantly changing, we’ll be able to make adjustments, and we will get back to singing together in church again!
Now for some additional practical suggestions that may be of help in your own parish as you approach different aspects of opening up:
- In lieu of full participation, planning for choir participation could mean using alternating duets, trios, or quartets for a while so that distances can be larger. Use the unison line if you don’t have sufficient numbers or confident singers for parts. Alternatively, it could also mean deciding to sing only part of a service so that singers are not standing close to each other beyond the 15-30 minute recommendations. Parishes with very small choirs or larger sanctuaries may be able to transition more easily.
- If you have a larger cadre of chanters, consider creating a schedule of alternating chanters to give everyone a chance to participate.
- Any planning should take into account the comfort and knowledge level of the singers themselves.
- Singers need to keep singing to keep their voices in shape! There are multiple YouTube videos offering warm-up exercises, vocal technique lessons, even sing-alongs available to you to explore.
- Even though your entire group might not be able to sing or chant together yet, it’s still important to attend to their morale and cohesiveness. This is most easily done using Zoom or similar tools to convene regular online meetings, and this avenue is one of the most important things you can do during this period of isolation and exclusion. Sometimes the purpose may be to simply chat, catch up, and keep connected; but it’s also possible to use the time together to discuss future plans, listen to music samples, engage in individual tutorials, learn new vocal skills, or watch a topical presentation.
- Some choirs are trying to adapt Zoom for actual rehearsals, although it is not conducive to everyone singing at the same time. As far as we know, most of these video-conferencing tools do not work for conducting rehearsals, because the technology doesn’t allow all voices to sing (or talk) simultaneously (too much lag time). However, some are figuring out ways to successfully adapt Zoom for learning melodies or practicing parts, using one person’s channel for a voice or instrument accompaniment with the other participants singing along at home with microphones muted. Other options would be to play chant or choral arrangements that the members can sing along to, following along with their music and with mics muted. There’s room for lots of creativity here!
- You can download a free copy of Zoom, which gives you 40 minutes of time, renewable. Or your parish may have already purchased a specially-priced copy available to them during this pandemic, which provides unlimited time. Here is a tutorial to give you an idea of how user-friendly this tool is:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMUxzrgZvZQ.
- Recording your group with a few hymns to re-play in church (aka the “virtual choirs” we are experiencing) is another possibility for “including” the choir in services, but the tools for this are pretty time-consuming, more so for those not familiar with them. Hopefully, as more people experiment with this, we may have better information or easier tools.
- For creative inspiration and a wealth of other ideas, visit the websites of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and other professional music organizations. Some of the helpful resources found on those sites are provided in the attached file.
Recognizing our diversity, I still hope this post is helpful to you in some way, even though I realize it’s also quite sobering. Try to use our “waiting” time well - think positively, focus on new ways to strengthen your group, help them some learn new things, and seek creative ways to promote fellowship and connectivity until the time when we can all return to our lofts and analogia.
As you work through re-opening within your own parish, please share your situations with us, and especially your creative solutions. Simply send me your information, ideas, and/or links to helpful resources you’ve discovered, along with any questions, and we’ll post them on a common page on the National Forum website and other social media for all to see.
I look forward to hearing how you are doing and anything you may be discovering that could help all of us through this challenging period, especially about how you’re moving towards singing or chanting in church and handling rehearsals!
May the wonder of the coming Pentecost and its kontakion inspire us all to be “called to unity, and with one voice, to Glorify the Holy Spirit.”
In His Service,
Vicki
Dr. Vicki Pappas, National Chairman
National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians
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The Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians of the Chicago Metropolis recently participated in
the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians annual conference. The delegation, which was
the largest in attendance at the conference, was led by President Nick Chimitris. The delegation
included Vice President Rena Meintanis, Secretary Maria Meintanis, Immediate Past Board Member
Diana Ott, National Forum Youth Initiatives Committee Chair Denise Karras and Board Member George
Panagopoulos. Nick was named National Forum Committee Chair for Liturgical Music Education-
Assistance to Choirs and Parishes and worked on the Byzantine Music Education committee, as well. So,
our Chicago Federation now heads two national committees. All the delegation members played
integral roles in the committees of which they were members.
The Chicago Federation, once again, led the way in discussions in deliberations in committee
assignments. A number of our own initiatives are being considered as prototypes for National Forum
use, particularly the development of our Director’s Training Manual as well as a number of our Youth
Initiatives, both under the auspices of Nick’s and Denise’s respective committees. Nick was also
selected to direct music selected for one of the musical breaks during the conference.
The conference ended with a beautiful Divine Liturgy at our host church, Annunciation Cathedral, In
Houston, TX on Sunday. All of the Chicago Federation joined the cathedral choir as did many of the
conference delegates.
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Dear Reverend Clergy and Church Musicians,
The 2020 Liturgical Guidebook is available for ordering. The cost of the Guidebook is $40 plus shipping and handling.
Usually, you have been able to order your Guidebooks from the Orthodox Marketplace, but this year, because it has been down for “temporary systems maintenance” for quite a while, we are providing you with three other ways to place your orders so you can receive this resource in a timely manner.
1) EMAIL: Send your order to the Department of Religious Education at religioused@goarch.org. Please be sure to include the following:
- Your name
- The complete mailing address for delivery.
- Your home parish, city and state
- Your email
- Your phone number
- Please DO NOT include your credit card number in the email.
- The Department will have the Guidebook(s) sent to you and will send you an invoice for payment.
2) FAX: send your order to the Department of Religious Education at 617-850-1489. Include all the information listed above and NO credit card number. You will receive an invoice for payment from the Department.
3) PHONE: Call in your order to the Department of Religious Education at 646-519-6300 or toll free 800-566-1088, M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm EST. Be sure to provide the same information as listed above.
Note: Your 2019 Guidebook charts are good until the end of February 2020. However, if you prefer to wait and order online, the website address is www.orthodoxmarketplace.com. Keep checking it until the systems maintenance message disappears. When it becomes operational, use the SEARCH box at the top to enter: 2020 Liturgical Guidebook.
We hope you find one of the alternative ordering methods satisfactory given the state of the Marketplace site. Should you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact the Liturgical Guidebook Editor Peter Vatsures at vatspnv@hotmail.com or call him at 614-263-1343.
Vicki
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Communications from the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians
Website: www.churchmusic.goarch.org
Facebook Pages: www.Facebook.com/National.Forum
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