Useful links and guidance for musicians and their choirs.
If you come across other useful resources, do let us know so that we can add them to the list.
In light of the Prime Minister's announcement of a second lock-down for England from 5 November to 2 December, the DCMS performing arts guidelines state that no non-professional activity can take place during this time. Professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes. Click here to read the current performing arts guidance. Click here for the national restrictions for England from 5 November.
Music can continue in schools. The DfE have issued guidance which clarifies that music can continue with safety precautions. Further guidance on private teaching face to face in homes is still being sought by the MU, ISM and Music Mark. Click here to view the government guidance and click here to view Music Mark's updated guidance (the Lockdown 2 supplement in their resources).
Hopefully amateur choirs will be able to resume after 2 December, so our planning resources below are still relevant for making plans to return to singing as and when it's possible.
We strongly recommend that you read all the guidance in detail as part of your planning for returning to singing.
We've put together three documents to help you and your choir with your planning and risk assessments for returning to singing in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. All three are designed to be read in conjunction with each other:
You can also find useful advice for choirs on making plans to return to singing on the Making Music website and on the ISM's website, both of which include advice for choirs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
As many choirs start to make plans to return to singing, we've put together three documents to help you and your choir with your planning and risk assessments for returning to singing in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. All three are designed to be read in conjunction with each other:
abcd has published a research paper on the impact of the COVID 19 virus on choral activity in the UK. The report, prepared by Professor Martin Ashley, an abcd trustee, provides a survey of research into the current thinking about how choirs and conductors might resume rehearsing and performing.
You can find out more information and view a summary in our news section, but we strongly recommend that the full paper is read, which you can find here.
Our webinar on The changing face of choirs: adapting to COVID-19 is still publicly accessible on YouTube here.
Additional resources: Professor Ashley has put together an information sheet about choirs and aerosols which can be found here.
Banks Music Publications have a range of PPE equipment for choirs, including singers' masks with a specially designed lightweight frame that holds the material away from the nose and mouth allowing normal vowel production and projection.
The Broadway Relief Project is a coalition of Broadway designers and stitchers that normally build costumes for Broadway hit musicals. The team was enlisted by the City of New York to creating over 2 million medical gowns for NYC public hospitals. The Singer's Mask was developed for singers to capture droplets while singing and provide comfort and ease of motion while singing.
There are a growing number of other suppliers making to order:
Joan Fernley has produced patterns for making singers' masks and YouTube tutorials - many of the names above are producing to her pattern. She also runs a Facebook group 'Masks for performers'.
#CanDoMusic is a UK-wide campaign organised by Music Mark, Music Teachers' Association and the ISM that aims to ensure all children and young people can resume their musical learning as schools reopen after lockdown. There is a huge list of constantly updated resources there. See listings and learn more about the full campaign here. Together we #CanDoMusic.
Educator's Discount from Hal Leonard. abcd Gold Commercial Members Hal Leonard Europe have launched a range of initiatives to help people continue making music during these unprecedented times, via their online store Musicroom.com, including extending their standard educators discount to 15% with free shipping on all orders. Find out more here.
Musicroom is also launching a set of campaigns for home music making:
Our colleagues at NYCoS always have plenty of useful hints on their website and they have put together a set of daily musical activities - with or without actions!
Drake Music have information and suggestions about the need for digital accessibility and sharing their learning about how to make video conferencing more accessible. There is also a Coronavirus resource list page for musicians, music leaders & teachers, parents and carers.
Music Mark have a big list of online home learning resources of all kinds for all ages. They have also published lots of helpful guidance for schools and music providers about starting up activity in schools again.
Global Song Circle have new songs every month for community, family and friends to sing along to, complete with teaching video and song sheets which can be downloaded.
Our colleagues at the Royal School of Church Music have collated online resources on a variety of topics and are also offering a series of webinars for a small fee.
Sing Up have introduced Sing Up at Home, with lots of resources for online learning. Members can also access new autumn resources.
Every Monday a new song, presented by Ex Cathedra's SingMaker team as an interactive film, will be released . These are aimed at up to 11 year olds and free to access. There will be brief notes associated with each song to maximise learning and enjoyment of participation. We hope you have fun!
There is now a joint portal of information for musicians at:
http://www.coronamusicians.info/
This has been put together by Help Musicians, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, The Ivors Academy, the Music Managers Forum, the Music Producers Guild, the Musicians' Union, and UK Music and is being regularly updated. It includes advice on how to apply for Government support and details of hardship funds, as well as where to find legal and health support, working online and creative support.
Do try and help to support our musicians, who are going through a very difficult time at the moment.
Help Musicians has launched the Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund, specifically created to alleviate some of the financial pressures that many professional musicians are currently facing. The £5 million fund has had over 17,000 applications so far and in spite of many generous donations, there is still a funding gap. Click here to find out more about the fund and make a donation.
The Musicians Union has launched a £1 million hardship fund for MU members with genuine and pressing hardship. Click here to find out more about how to apply and how to make a donation.
PRS for Music has launched an Membership Emergency Relief Fund. The new fund offers money to support songwriters and composers during unprecedented times of hardship. Click here to find out more.
This is new territory for almost everyone! See our Facebook group for the many solutions people have tried and how they've both succeeded and failed. We'll shortly be publishing some short 'how to' guides on setting up online connections with your choir. Here are some possible software options and useful articles:
The American site Chorus Connection has a good article on running online rehearsals and what to consider.
Our friend and colleague, Professor Jim Daus Hjernøe at RAMA Vocal Center Denmark, who delegates will remember from last year's Convention, has produced some very helpful tutorials on using Zoom in rehearsal situations - click here.
There are many online choirs of all kinds springing up! Your choir might be interested in some of the following:
Stay at Home Choir run by Rachel Staunton and Tori Longdon. An online platform to keep musicians connected
The Great British Home Chorus run by Gareth Malone OBE
The Self-isolation Choir Live weekly rehearsals; following the successful performance of Messiah in May, the choir is holding a summer school and a performance of Elijah in September.
The Sofa Singers led by James Sills
Distant-Sing run by Choir Community
Enjoy concerts from some of the world's top musicians in your own home!
Wigmore Hall is streaming live daily concerts
The Royal Opera House has announced a programme of free online content
BBC Music Magazine has details of streaming services including the Berlin Philharmonic, The Met, VOCES8 and more.
Live from London. An online festival of the world's finest vocal music running each Saturday from 1 August - 3 October, set in VOCES8's stunning church in the heart of the city. Find out more and buy your season ticket from us! It gives access to all ten concerts, whenever you purchase it and every purchase help us too.
Many institutions have lifted their paywall temporarily, giving access to everyone to useful online teaching resources:
OUP Music, Teaching Music Appreciation Online
OUP Music, Online Learning in Music: Foundations, Frameworks and Practices
And many of our performing organisations have online resources:
London Mozart Players on orchestral conducting
London Symphony Orchestra A-level seminars, as well as a host of performances
