Is Congregational Singing Dangerous?

Many of us have heard about the dangers of choral singing, especially because of the Skagit Valley Chorale in Mount Vernon, Washington. The choir held a careful rehearsal in March, its members each standing six feet apart. Later, 45 of 60 attendees contracted the virus and two died.

While there could be a host of reasons for the quick spread of the virus that day, the group’s experience led many to wonder if something about corporate singing speeds the dissemination of COVID-19. Expanded guidance proposed by the CDC discouraged use of choral groups in worship, and choral experts warned about the danger of choral singing until we have a vaccine.

But what about congregational singing? Before we get started, please note that I am a worship pastor in a local church. While I do not have have medical training, this article has been written in consultation with medical professionals. Where possible, I’ve linked to articles from respected medical organizations to support the article’s conclusions. However, there is much we still don’t know, so I’m making an educated guess. Read More

Studying how the COVID-19 virus spreads, researchers in Wuhan, China found high concentrations of the COVID-19 virus particles in the bathrooms of COVID-19 patients. The concentrations of COVID-19 virus particles were lower in better ventilated rooms. One of the conclusions which may be drawn from this research is that people using the same bathroom or restroom as someone who is infected with the virus are at greater risk of contracting the virus themselves due to the high concentration of virus particles in these spaces.

Other studies have shown that, while children may experience mild or no symptoms when they contract the virus, they carry the same virus load as adults and are just as infectious as adults if not more so. Children are more likely to ignore social distancing guidelines and not only to move into close proximity with each other and adults but also to have physical contact with them. As a consequence they can be major transmitters of diseases, including COVID-19.

People who have contracted the virus are infectious before they show any symptoms if they show any symptoms at all.

Add to this picture what Ken Boer draws attention to in his article about how singing can transmit the virus and the fact that one segment of the US population willfully or out of ignorance refuses to comply with public health measures like social distancing and face mask wearing, and you have some idea of the problems that churches are facing when they consider reopening at the present stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Ignoring these problems as some church leaders are doing puts the health and safety of members of the church and members of the community at risk. As was repeatedly pointed out at the Regather webinar this week, churches should take care to avoid being seen as a threat to the community's health and safety because they reopened prematurely, did not take adequate precautions against spreading the virus, and became the nexus for a resurgence of the virus in the community. This damages not only the witness of a particular church in the community but also the witness of all the community's churches.

Churches that do eventually reopen may need to voluntarily impose a moratorium on choral and congregational singing or confine singing to open, well-ventilated spaces such as outdoors. All Souls, Langham Place and other churches have been pioneering virtual choirs, orchestras,and small ensembles. Singing together in online small groups in which the group devotes its time together to praising God in song is another way we can keep alive the practice of singing with one voice. While our singing may be disjointed and out of sync, what matters to God is not how tuneful we are but that our praise comes from the heart.

I have been using the present time of sequestration to learn new hymns, worship songs, and choral pieces. I decided to follow the example of Paul and Silas and sing God's praises in the midst of adversity. It is a practice that I recommend.