Using a Small Ensemble for Your Online Worship May Not Be Safe

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 11:34 pm by Jonathan Aigner

Using a Small Ensemble for Your Online Worship May Not Be Safe 2022-01-06T23:34:33-05:00 Jonathan Aigner

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Those of us who are church musicians have probably seen our fair share of online worship services over the past weeks. The parade of examples in my Facebook feed is seemingly endless. While many of these churches started out with just one or two musicians in an empty church, it seems like an increasing number of churches are featuring small ensembles with singers and instrumentalists keeping that supposedly magical six-foot distance between them.

Another church in my area featured several singers with a pianist and a hired brass quintet on Easter.

Another uses a quartet evenly spaced around a piano.

These are just a few examples. Look around a bit, and you’ll find many others trying the same kinds of techniques while giving the impression that they’re following the letter of the social distancing requirements. But we’ve been told over and over again: keeping six feet away from others is not enough to keep you safe, since many infections occur by touching the face with contaminated hands. And while maintaining the six foot radius might reduce your risk, it stands to reason that the reasoning behind the guideline assumes that the other people are not consistently singing their faces off.

According to Vincent Racaniello, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia, speaking, singing, and normal breathing produces aerosols, which in an infected person, are laden with virus particles. While the largest of these droplets don’t travel very far, the smaller droplets are a different story.

“Those droplets 1-4 microns in diameter are called ‘droplet nuclei’; these remain suspended in the air for very long periods and may not only travel long distances, but can reach the lower respiratory tract. Inhalation of droplets and droplet nuclei places virus in the upper respiratory tract, where it may initiate infection.”

What happens when the singers all file out of the chancel using the same path, even while keeping physical distance from each Just yesterday, a respected pastor and liturgy expert shared a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that “aerosol and fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is plausible, since the virus can remain viable and infectious in aerosols for hours.”

Think about it: aerosols produced from the breathing, talking, and singing of an infected person can remain suspended in the air and infectious for hours.

Racaniello recalled this incident or influenza transmission from the 1970s:

“The importance of aerosol transmission is illustrated by an outbreak of influenza aboard a commercial airplane in the late 1970s. The plane, carrying 54 persons, was delayed on the ground for three hours, during which time the ventilation system was not functional. Most of the travelers remained on board. Within 72 hours, nearly 75% of the passengers developed influenza. The source of the infection was a single person on the airplane with influenza.”

Photo:
YouTube screenshot

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 22, 2020

Hymns of Hope and Comfort: Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless

Next Post

April 23, 2020 Hymns of Hope and Comfort: To God Be the Glory

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church of St. YouTube congregational singing congregational song contemporary critiques corporate worship Hymn of the Week hymn singing hymnody and hymnology hymns masturbatory worship Uncategorized worship Worship Quotes

Select a Month February 2023 January 2023 October 2022 September 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which major prophet book is directly after Isaiah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jeremiah Daniel Lamentations Ezekiel