This COVID lockdown has been difficult for many and tragic for others. Thanks to my privileged position in life, I have a number of tools in my COVID Coping Tool Kit.
I am retired and have a regular check sent to me each month without having to leave the house. I have hobbies like bicycle riding, walking, hiking and golf that I can still engage in because they are outdoors and have social distancing built into them. I have a computer and good internet access which means that I can write my opinions and send them out to friends, family and others which is something that I am coming to enjoy a great deal.
But, the tool in my COVID Kit that has had the largest impact on my ability to deal with the COVID lockdown is singing. But, I thought singing was shut down? Singing in person certainly has been shutdown along with live theater and all the live things that we know and love. But, along the way came virtual singing. Virtual singing has been a Godsend. I/we have learned more about virtual singing than we could ever have imagined or wished for at the start of 2020. Skills that will serve us well as we emerge from the lockdown. But, live concerts will be back. What will they look like?
What will singing in live concerts look like post COVID? I got a preview of what it might be when I saw The Aeolians from Oakwood University in Alabama singing as a part of “Live From London,” a concert series produced by Voces8. See the clip in the link below.
https://youtu.be/xD7QZgWlO9M?t=248
The singing was fantastic, but did you see what they were wearing? Yes, of course they were wearing masks, but did you notice the design of their masks? These weren’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill masks. These were different. I did a little internet research and found out more about these masks.
As we emerge from COVID and return back to the world of live performance, the first concerts could very well include masks like these for the singers. Concert attendance will be adapted to accommodate social distancing by allowing for multiple, smaller audience performances in the same venue. Tickets will be handled electronically for everyone. I can’t wait to find out what other methods will emerge from the creative minds of our arts communities that will make live concerts possible and accessible for all of us once again.
It is coming. We will be able to join each other and enjoy making and listening to live music once again soon. Hope springs eternal and we are getting ever closer to that reality. In the meantime, have a joyous holiday season. Make it the best ever and find peace in all that you do online or from a place of social distance.