Back in the room ? Face to face or Virtual singing & PR?

[MusicalBreath]

Hello. I run the singing for lung health training & have a few question for the experts (ie you!!!) They might seem daft or bleeding obvious but I don’t want to make assumptions & you could help a lot. When might you feel safe going back into a room with other people to do pulmonary rehab or singing? Would you want to wear a mask (or not) thinking about the added load that singing & exercising already causes I know personally I would hate to sing or exercise in a mask. Would you want the PR lead or singing leader to wear a mask & would you insist they are also vaccinated? Would you also want a large ventilated room or would you be happy doing outside? I know what I think but that’s beside the point I want to know what you’d think & compare with your feelings about doing PR & singing virtually. Thank you SO much everyone xxx

[Annie31]

In one! Personally I would wait to do either inside or outside!

[madonbrew]

Hi, it sounds like a lovely idea, 😊but yes, the practicalities are tricky.

I’ve had my vaccine, but still feel nervous of the thought of being around other people at all, but...

I would feel safest knowing people had had their vaccines (although you can’t make people so that would be tricky)

I guess if it was a large, ventilated space...and there was a large enough space for people to social distance.

I wouldn’t want to have to sing with a mask, however I’m not sure I’d feel safe with the expelled aerosol droplets that singing causes, without one...at least indoors.

It’s quite interesting thinking about what you would personally do...I guess at the moment, I would probably only join in if it was outside, socially distanced...possibly without masks if outside. I’m thinking I’m a Christian and would normally go to church but at the moment singing isn’t allowed in church, so the thought of singing with other people at all doesn’t feel overly safe just yet.

However, there may be other people with totally different opinions to me!!!! It’s just my thoughts. If it helps, I’m 42, in the shielding group and have severe asthma.

[madonbrew]

Maybe virtual still still feels safest

[O2Trees in reply to madonbrew]

Hard to do virtually due to audio delay. My choir would take turns with solos and had different tricks to deal with the delay, but in the end it was too frustrating and we've given up for now. Some choirs have mixed recordings of individual voices - there's a version of the Messiah - but you need someone with access to a mixing desk.

[corriena in reply to O2Trees]

We do a zoom singing group. Every one mutes thear mikes while we sing except for are lead and she puts the words up on the screen. Its not perfect but works well and everyone enjoys it. No one seems ready to meet up in person. We will wait and stay safe. We have been in for nearly a year no point in cutting corners now

[O2Trees in reply to corriena]

Agreed, no point in falling at the last (or later hurdle) corriena. We did the muting and the singing along thing too. We arent a singing for breathing choir though. We carried on for a while then it just got too much and we have abandoned it for now.

[corriena in reply to O2Trees]

It must be realy hard for a choir, we are just singing for lung health and fun but its realy good to keep in touch with each other 😷

[Annie31]

We had a job to do a family quiz with 10 of us - everybody was screaming at one another in the end - what was the question again? What did he say? Was that the answer? 😂😂😂 we gave up in the end with most of us in a bad mood! Had a drop of wine and a chat instead! 😁

[Oshgosh]

Hi,I’m on the list for my second course of pulmonary rehab.it will be online.I’m quite happy with this at present.

Ido sing around the house,the cat hates it .

Personally I don’t think I could sing wearing a mask.

I have Interstitial lung disease.when I do wear a ask out of necessity I struggle. Thanks for your considerate query.

Apologies for my negative answers.

[MusicalBreath]

Singing for lung health groups do run very successfully online - it’s just different - can’t hear each other for one - I’m more interested in how you all feel about being back in a room together & the vaccine & mask question. Risk assessment is one thing but individual attitudes & sense of safety vital - thanks for answers so far - helpful

[Kristicats]

Far too dangerous at the moment I fear inside or out to risk anyone breathing on you or around your space. Virtual or remote is being used until it’s safe to meet up again.

[MusicalBreath]

My personal view is PR will return face to face sooner than singing with vaccinated staff, social distancing, large ventilated rooms & I am not sure folk will generally want to return face to face for a high risk activity like singing for some time yet - even 6 months but as with everything else hard to put a time on anything presently - that’s my personal view so great to know yours thank you so much to those of you who have replied. If you’ve been shielding for nearly a year it’s going to be quite a bridge to cross I suspect but tell me if I’m wrong 🙏

[Ergendl]

I run a singing for lung health group which is temporarily closed as the members are all self isolating. When I ran it before Christmas, I wore a face shield to lead the group and ensured all seats were at least 6 feet apart, cutting the total number in the hall to just 8. I also have a singing mask which I bought from the Royal School of Church Music shop. This extends too far from my face for me to carry out the necessary warm up exercises and to operate the I-pad I use in sessions. I struggle to do anything more than sit quietly with a standard mask on. I do ask people attending to use visors too and to dress warmly as we keep the door open for good ventilation. People are also advised to bring their own refreshments as these can't be supplied in line with our risk assessment and the risk assessment of the church hall where we hold sessions.

[MusicalBreath in reply to Ergendl]

I wondered about singing masks. Gosh you did a really decent risk assessment as we must - just so hard to know when safe return to both PR exercise & singing possible - trying to guess it pointless exercise perhaps - it will happen when it happens. Thank you 🙏