What's lost when choirs fall silent

+ disobeying military orders US Edition - Today's top story: Churchgoers aren't able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here's why that matters [View in browser]( US Edition | 13 June 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair In these cacophonous times, a little choral music might go some way to ease the soul. But with churches shut or at least restricted to small gatherings, the live sacred music that accompanies religious gatherings is gone – it’s simply too risky to be singing in groups, scientists say. Virtual choirs have tried to fill the void, but according to Donna Cox, a choral conductor and music professor at the University of Dayton, they are “pale imitations of the real thing.” She explains why, with a nod to the [central role music has played in Christian traditions](. This week we also liked articles about calls in Atlanta to [stop honoring a 19th-century "mild racist,"](the [financial challenges colleges and universities face]( and when it’s OK for [members of the military to disobey orders](. Matt Williams General Assignments Editor Even when singing does take place, voices are muffled. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images [Churchgoers aren’t able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here’s why that matters]( Donna M. Cox, University of Dayton A choral conductor and scholar of sacred music explains what's missing from church worship with singing banned due to the pandemic – and why live choir rehearsals are still a ways off California State University schools have ruled out in-person classes for this fall. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images [Going online due to COVID-19 this fall could hurt colleges’ future]( Christopher Newfield, University of California, Santa Barbara Opening colleges and universities for in-person instruction this fall could be risky, but so could going online. A higher education funding expert explains why. The new model predicts the growth of small ponds on arctic ice sheets. Scientific Visualization Studio / NASA [Video: How simple math can help predict the melting of sea ice]( Anurag Papolu, The Conversation Understanding sea ice loss requires expensive and difficult expeditions. Scientists have developed a new model that predicts the growth of small ponds on sea ice more efficiently. - [Students demand removal of ‘mild racist’ from Georgia landscape]( Kathy Roberts Forde, University of Massachusetts Amherst As protests over George Floyd's death consume the country, students are forcing a reappraisal of a controversial editor and orator who helped build modern Atlanta. - [Why soldiers might disobey the president’s orders to occupy US cities]( Marcus Hedahl, United States Naval Academy; Bradley Jay Strawser, Naval Postgraduate School There is a long line of military heroes who had the moral courage not to follow immoral orders. In the days ahead, some may have to consider what exactly their oath to the Constitution requires. - [Workplaces are turning to devices to monitor social distancing, but does the tech respect privacy?]( Ari Trachtenberg, Boston University Smartphone apps and wearable devices can tell when workers have been within six feet of each other, promising to help curb the coronavirus. But they're not all the same when it comes to privacy. - [What we can learn about isolation from prison artists]( - [Am I immune to COVID-19 if I have antibodies?]( - [Neighborhood-based friendships making a comeback for kids in the age of coronavirus]( - [City compost programs turn garbage into ‘black gold’ that boosts food security and social justice]( - [Vibrators had a long history as medical quackery before feminists rebranded them as sex toys]( - [How the Federal Reserve literally makes money]( - [States are making it harder to sue nursing homes over COVID-19: Why immunity from lawsuits is a problem]( - [Who killed Sweden’s prime minister? 1986 assassination of Olof Palme is finally solved – maybe]( - [How the US government sold the Peace Corps to the American public]( - [Police unions are the biggest obstacle to transforming policing]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111