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You are here: Home / Choralosophy / Dropping the Covid Ball with Dr. Nikki Johnson

Dropping the Covid Ball with Dr. Nikki Johnson

June 24, 2022 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment


The Return of Covid Conversations!

Sadly, many of us in education have lived at the epicenter of the Covid Wars. Possibly the biggest political football during the pandemic has been what to do with the kids, and what to do with schools. For those of us in choral music, we lived at that intersection along with a hysteria created at first by our very own professional organizations. This contributed to a perfect storm of lost positions, cut programs, recruiting problems and a laundry list of misplaced apprehensions about singing. Facts that I am still not sure we have all come to terms with. Of course, it is important to remember that in this cross fire were students and community members displaced from life affirming and often life saving educational and humanizing opportunities. While it is always reasonable to weigh new risks against old norms, it is not reasonable to present our preferred policies as if they have no downsides worthy of heavy consideration. In this episode I speak with Pediatrician, and Covid Policy Advocate Dr. Nikki Johnson about the “Harm Reduction” approach to Covid Policy, the political blinders we all wore or still wear, and many errors in reasoning to which this contributed. One of the big errors singers have made is the role masks play in our safety.

Dr. Nikki Johnson

We also discuss the difference between a high quality signers mask designed to STAY ON while you sing… (Like a scientifically vetted singers mask. Most aren’t…) and just wearing any old mask for any amount of time, flopping your jaw around willy nilly. Finally, we do a bit of prognosticating about ways to process in a more healthy way in the next wave.

You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!

Materials Referenced in the Episode
NYT Article Mentioned RE Mask effectiveness vs. Mask POLICY

Early in the Pandemic, Europe Was Much Quicker to Get Kids Back to School

Episode 107: Retention Matters MORE than Recruitment

Advertisements Straight out of the archives! Most of my live presentations are reserved for Patreon Subscribers, but I felt so strongly about the ideas in this presentation, I decided to air it out for everybody. It is my belief that when we talk about building choral programs, or any program for that matter, we do …

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Episode 106: If Every One Agrees, We Can’t Have the “Difficult Conversations” with Micah Horton

Advertisements Many people think they are speaking truth to power, but they are really just preaching to the choir. This episode deals with the role of political discourse in the lives of all citizens, and educators in particular. The future of education is hanging in the balance right now as I see it, based on …

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Episode 105: Work Less Hard, Have Better Choirs

Advertisements Sound too good to be true? Well, it is if you are thinking that there is a quick and easy pill to swallow in order to get to that next level in your career. You know, the one where you simply, issue wisdom, wave your arms, say inspirational things, and the choir just SINGS! …

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Filed Under: Choralosophy Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, American Choral Directors Association, Choral Music, COVID-19, COVID-19 Resource, policy, schools

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