'Corona' chorus unites voices around the world

While nonstop global news about the effects of the coronavirus have become commonplace, so, too, are the stories about the kindness of strangers and individuals who have sacrificed for others. "One Good Thing" is an AP continuing series reflecting these acts of kindness.

___

Casper ter Kuile lights a candle in front of his computer screen to mark the start of a global videoconference where the healing power of singing proves contagious.

This idea flourished in a Tweet.

"If I was going to teach some simple songs in rounds, who would want to join me?" He asked his followers. "You can keep your microphone muted, so everyone is welcome. And there was such an enthusiastic response to it that I was like okay well let's do this. So, I just said everyone come on Sunday, here's my Zoom room and like more than 100 people showed up."

The virtual singing group, which meets on Zoom every Sunday at 1pm EST, seeks to unite voices in isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

"You know when you put it in gallery view, you see lots and lots of people's faces and I could see them kind of singing along and smiling," Kuile says joyously. "Especially folks who brought their kids, it was really sweet to see."

The group sang the chorus in Scots Gaelic to "The Boatman," ter Kuile's favorite song, and ended with a simple but powerful message in this time of uncertainty: "Done nobis pacem," Latin for "grant us peace."

"You know, I think of these songs as medicine for my mind," ter Kuile said. "That's really what I wanted to share: That there's so much skill in real medicine, in the hospital, but there are also ways in which we can care for ourselves and each other."