Due to COVID-19 precautions, the performing arts program at GA has developed new ways to perform and practice.
In band, students have practiced their music outside at the stadium. They play at stands set up on the bleachers to maintain social distancing, while the percussion is placed near the football field. While playing their instruments, the woodwind and brass players wear masks with holes cut through them so it is safer to play, while the percussionists keep their masks on while playing. One student said that she “like[s] the new way [they] are practicing band”. Mr. Doyle, assistant band director, added that the setup at the stadium “is what we are doing for now and [we] are trying to find new ideas”. With the cold weather coming up, Mr. Correnti and Mr. Doyle are trying to find new ways for students to practice and get ready for concerts. All band concerts this year will be virtual. With this new change, students will submit a video of themselves playing their part of the concert music and the footage will be edited to make it sound like the band is playing all together.
Chorus is also being cautious while practicing together outdoors. COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosols, so Mr. Masters is keeping a close eye on the aerosol research to make sure he knows what the most reliable protocol is to keep everyone safe. He is “following that really closely to stay safe during the pandemic”. Currently, the chorus is keeping their masks on while practicing outside. They are rehearsing in any open, safe area they can find: sometimes practicing in the quad, the parking lot, or outside the stadium while keeping an 8-10 feet distance. Even during the winter, chorus will be practicing outside unless they are given the all clear that it is safe to go back inside. Right now they are “being patient, understanding, and curious to learn as much as possible”. Mr. Masters is looking forward to the spring when the weather will be nice and hopefully, the COVID-19 cases will go down. They may be having their concerts outside or will find another way to transfer them to a virtual setting.
Orchestra is fortunate to still be able to practice indoors, and has utilized new technology to help them practice their instruments this year. With the new hybrid schedule, not all of the students are in the same room practicing together. To work around that, Mr. Horner, the orchestra director, discovered a new way for his students to practice their individual projects at home using a free web-based program called ‘Band Lab’. This program allows the orchestra students to work on individual projects and do recordings from home. This also allows Mr. Horner to help his students individually improve by listening to their recording and giving them feedback. Since the orchestra doesn’t need to use their mouths to play their instruments, they are able to stay inside and practice. Mr. Horner said that he is “really lucky with the strings to be able to get to play indoors”. While practicing, they stay distant and keep their masks on to maintain a safe environment to practice. This will most likely be their new normal for the rest of the year unless they find a place to practice outside. As for the concerts, there is nothing planned yet, but so far they are practicing old songs that “[they] could put together pretty quickly”, and then are planning to livestream the performance for everyone to enjoy. Mr. Horner is “looking for some kind of outdoor performance opportunities. Some of the kids are really excited about that idea”. One student exclaimed that they “can’t wait to try new things and perform”.