
The ideas kept flowing, as Scott developed a second type of mask, which she is calling the “teacher’s mask,” designed for teachers and public speakers. “Yet your nose and mouth are far enough away that you can take in good breaths.” “It sits very close to the face to eliminate as much air coming in and out of the mask,” said Scott, an assistant professor in the School of Music. She developed a “performer’s mask,” which projects a few inches away from the face and has a sturdy, lightweight framework that keeps the wearer from sucking in the fabric like a DustBuster.

Never did she anticipate both of her professional worlds – past and present -marrying in harmony due to deadly virus. “Singing in a mask is so difficult.”Ī former wedding dress designer, Scott knows a thing or two about sewing and designs. “I originally commented that if we were going to have to sing in those masks, I would rather do everything online,” Scott said. Earloop disposable face masks and over-the-ear cloth coverings need not audition.
#Hard west masked man how to#
With the fall semester here, Scott needed to figure out how to teach singing to her students. So she tapped into her prior life as a fashion designer to solve a problem unforeseen by non-entertainers.

Kym Scott, director of choral activities at West Virginia University, recognized the limitations of singing and performing in masks from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not really, unless you’re going for a muffled, disinterested Kurt Cobain sound. We know that wearing a mask reduces the risk of transmitting viral droplets from person to person.īut one question remains: Can you carry a tune in one?
