Returning to School in the Time of COVID-19
In a few days, I will be welcoming my band students back to the classroom for the first time since March 13, 2020. Though the setting will be familiar to them, I am sure the experience of learning new procedures and protocols designed to keep them safe during this pandemic will be something akin to drinking water from a fire hose. As a school, we will be asking a great deal of these middle school boys - staying adequately distanced, staying masked up, being mindful of how they interact after school hours. It will seem daunting at times for all of us.
Both faculty and students have been mourning the missed opportunities of the spring semester - no spring concert, no in person awards ceremony, no ceremonial welcome to the high school - and the realities of the new semester will loom large. There is little chance of performing in front of a large audience of parents and peers. Being a part of a band that practices but never takes the stage seems like a lot of effort for no reward - besides the intrinsic rewards that come from learning a musical instrument. However, to be honest, for many students the thrill of making music together for an appreciative audience is the very thing that keeps them engaged with the art long enough to discover the intrinsic value.
As I met with the faculty, I acknowledged that many things we have done in the past years will prove impossible because unsafe. We could spend time mourning this, or we were free to choose a different perspective.
For the first time in years, there are no expectations regarding our concerts. They can be anything we choose for them to be. Chamber ensembles indoors. Larger ensembles in outdoor drive-in concerts. Virtual performances shared on social media. The sky is the limit. Through technology, our current students can duet with alumni from around the world without having to leave Chattanooga. Students who are still choosing to learn virtually can perform ‘fireside’ recitals to share with the entire community over the web. We can choose this time to set our creatives selves loose and truly think of performance in a new way. We can try and fail and try again.
More importantly, we can take the time to listen to our students. We can guide them to experiment with ideas, to look for new means of expression, and to use their voices to change the curriculum. We can find new ways to make them powerful. We can show them that this is how you change the world.
In truth, what our students need more than anything from us is the kind of leadership that looks for ways to empower others - especially them. We can model a positive outlook in the midst of this chaos - recognizing what we cannot control and controlling our responses to our circumstances. Working with them, we can all think creatively, critically, and collaboratively. We can find new ways to connect our community. These are the skills that will help them navigate the shifting sands of the future. We can help them cultivate these tools now. We must.
