Masked singers will once again be able to practice their crafts inside Massachusetts schools.
Updated Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance now permits indoor signing at schools where in-person learning is taking place. Previously, students were only allowed to sing outdoors.
Chorus, singing and musical theater activities can take place indoors, with masks required and at least 10 feet of distance between individuals, under the new guidance, which notes that singing “carries a relatively higher risk of virus transmission because voice projection generates respiratory droplets.”
The guidance says that masks should be tight and well-fitting, and that indoor singing should be limited to 30 minutes at a time and performed at lower volumes.
“The lower the volume, the less projection required. Consider, also, the volume of any background music,” the document says. “The higher the volume of background music, the more vocalists will need to project to be heard.”
Schools are encouraged to “prioritize the use of large, well-ventilated spaces for singing,” like gyms and auditoriums, and, for outdoor singing, to “monitor student volume to prevent harm to students’ vocal cords.”
(Copyright (c) 2025 State House News Service.