“In an effort to continue speaking with a unified voice on the importance of the singing community becoming as fully vaccinated as possible, our organizations have issued this joint statement which we are sharing widely,” says Allen Henderson, executive director of NATS. “We urge everyone to become fully vaccinated as soon as possible.”

 

Read the statement in full below.

The National Association of Teachers of Singing Voice Science Advisory Committee, the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, the Barbershop Harmony Society, the Performing Arts Medicine Association, the Pan American Vocology Association, Opera America, and National Collegiate Choral Organization strongly recommend that all singing teachers, choral conductors, collaborative pianists, and singers eligible to receive an FDA authorized vaccine[1] follow CDC guidance[2] and become fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

We collectively support public health education efforts at the local, state, and national level that offer accurate information about vaccine efficacy and safety and that encourage all persons to become vaccinated.[3]  

We recommend that unvaccinated teachers, conductors, collaborative pianists, and singers continue to follow COVID-19 prevention and mitigation practices that have been effective in reducing the spread of the disease in indoor public areas.[4]  These include but are not limited to the use of masks, physical distancing, increased ventilation, reduced contact time, regular cleaning of common surfaces, and vigorous hand washing.[5]

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On June 23, NATS also presented a free webinar: "Reentry after COVID - Concerns for Singers," on the Official NATS YouTube channel. The panelists discussed important reentry topics and new COVID-19 related concerns as we prepare for in-person collaboration.

[1] https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine;
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccine;
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/janssen-covid-19-vaccine

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html

[3] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythingstoknow.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2F8-things.html;
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness.html;
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety.html; https://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/_article.html/Featured_Stories_/NATS_COVID_Resources_Page; https://acda.org/resources-for-choral-professionals-during-a-pandemic/;
https://nafme.org/covid-19/;
https://www.asha.org/About/Coronavirus-Updates/;
https://www.whitehouse.gov/COVIDCollegeChallenge/.

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/participate-in-activities.html

[5] https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/transmission-protective-measures; https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public; https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html; https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/preventing-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus.