On Thursday evening at exactly 7:02 p.m. Eastern Time, a sing-along event will take place in New York City in order to bring a little cheer and solidarity to all those who are in isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peace of Heart Choir, which is organizing the event, say they believe “in the healing power of music.” The organization posted the following information to Facebook:
Join us to create a city-wide sing-along which will hopefully bring hundreds (dare we hope for thousands?) of New Yorkers to their windows, terraces, and more to sing “New York, New York” after the clapping and cheering of “Clap Because We Care” on Thursday, April 16. We’ll be coordinated with a Facebook Live feed from our New York Sings Along Facebook page. All you need to truly do is open a window and head to the Facebook page, And be prepared to clap, cheer, then sing.
At 6:45, before the Clap begins, we’ll launch a Facebook Live feed from the New York Sings Along page. We’ll use the feed to synchronize participation in the sing-along at the end of the cheer.
The event added in an update that two radio stations in the city (WKCR 89.9 FM and WBAI 99.5 FM) “will be broadcasting our sing-along track at 7:02 pm.”
As of publication, approximately 3,400 people and counting have indicated that they will participate in the sing-along, 3,600 are “interested,” and the Facebook event has been “shared” roughly 1,500 times.
The page continues:
We believe in the healing power of music. We perform for free dozens of times each year in the city’s hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, and more. We’re hoping that singers from all across the city will join us for this new project. Just sing along out your open window when the track prompts you. Or sing from your, terrace, balcony, front yard or just in your living room. But do sing!
In a statement sent to The Daily Wire, a spokesperson for the choir said: “This first-ever, 100% social-distanced, city-wide sing-along event is designed to boost morale, honor New Yorkers on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic, and allow more New Yorkers to experience the healing power of communal singing.”
Additionally, the statement quoted Co-Chairman of Peace of Heart Choir Andrew Dykeman, who said:
Today, our communities are disrupted—we cannot gather as we normally do to rehearse and perform, talk and discuss, drink, eat, practice yoga, meditation, exercise, or even work … At the same time, while so many of us are sheltering in place, others are New Yorkers tirelessly fight the global pandemic and help maintain essential services, laboring in the city’s hospitals, restaurants, supermarkets, bodegas, subways and buses, and more.
As choir members, we know that singing brings people together … This is our way of sparking a greater sense of community, while still maintaining appropriate physical distance. We can raise our voices together to honor those who risk their lives every day to keep us safe and cared for. We welcome other choirs and singers of all ages, and from every neighborhood, to join in.
The nightly applause for New York City’s front-line workers appears to have begun in late-March. Each evening at 7 p.m., citizens from across the city applaud, whistle, and clang in an effort to show appreciation for doctors, nurses, and others who are working on the edge of the COVID-19 crisis.
Videos have popped up across social media showing the recurring display:
COVID-19, which originated in China’s Hubei province, has infected more than 2.1 million people worldwide, leading to more than 141,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. Roughly 540,500 people have recovered.
In the United States, about 653,800 people have been sickened, and just under 31,000 have died from COVID-19. More than 53,600 people have recovered.
In New York, which is a national hotspot for the virus, there have been more than 226,300 confirmed cases, and over 16,200 deaths as of publication, according to Worldometer. New York City alone has seen approximately 123,000 cases, leading to more than 10,800 deaths.