Friday, August 21, 2020

Masks for singing, teaching and speaking





































Cloth masks we wear to protect from Coronavirus pose a problem for singers. When you open your mouth to take a deep breath, the close-fitting cloth is sucked into your mouth.  

Yesterday I saw an article from West Virginia University at WVU Today titled The masked singers: How a WVU choir director composed the perfect masks for performance art. Kym Scott designed new masks with built-in frames. The cloth then sits further from the mouth. The new designs provide more volume inside. They still fit well enough to filter most droplets. The article links to a product web site called Sing-Safe. There is a $30 performers mask for singers, and a $28 teachers mask (also for public speakers).   

The cartoon of a glee club was cropped from an 1896 Puck magazine at the Library of Congress.

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