Good afternoon!
I hope everyone is doing well and trying to enjoy the summer to the best that we can. I know some may be having questions/concerns about the upcoming band camp on the weeks of July 27-31 and August 3-7. The last thing I (or any teacher/administrator) want to do is to put any of our students/staff in danger of COVID. My wife and my mother have weaker immune systems and I would not want to be a carrier that could get them sick, much less any students, staff, or myself.
At this point, there is a ton of discussion going on not only in the CJ administration, but also in with the band directors in the fourstate region. There was a big study that was just released late yesterday about Performing Arts Aerosol. We are going through the research(and other research areas) to discover what procedures that we can do as we move forward.
Please note that fall sports athletics have already been doing summer camps with large numbers of students attending with no cases to report! We hope that this trend will continue, but will maintain caution and follow guidelines.
Please know that any of the following could change at any time depending on what we have recommended.
For now, we are still planning to do band camp for the weeks mentioned above. We are currently having Guard camp this week. For the week of July 27-31, we will be mostly in sectionals with approximately 25 or less students in each sectional. A lot of the mornings will be outside (please drink water leading up to band camp, not just the day of or day before!) For the afternoon sessions inside, we will be in separate rooms and work to keep social distancing. If/when we need to meet as a full band, we will more thank likely use the indoor facility which allows rooms for us to maintain a 6' social distancing between students. The week of Aug.3-7 will have more outdoor marching in the mornings and will work indoors in the afternoon. Again, we will use social distancing as much as possible.
I have seen several emails and posts from music educators about different types of masks/shields that people are designing for the performers to be able to still cover and still play their instruments. I will try to share these as much as possible over the next week or so.
There is a lot of talk of what the fall with school will look like and how specifically marching band will be. At this point, I do not have definite answers. For now, I have been told to plan accordingly like we have in the past with modifications for social distancing and safety. There are talks that competitive marching festivals will not happen. Some of the schools in the central and eastern part of the state have already made that decision. I simply don't know right now. If we cannot do festivals, we will work to have a different performance that allows for safety while still developing our musical skills. I wouldn't mind setting up a more college type atmosphere for our home football games! This could also affect camp as well.
Please know that there is a lot of thought, research, and discussion that is happening. I feel that no matter what I or the school decides, there will be people who will agree or not agree. I can tell you I have been praying a lot over this upcoming year and ask for your grace for any decisions that are made. I will not be making them alone and will follow what the school and government recommend. I care a TON about our kids and want them safe while having a great experience as possible.
If you need to contact me for any concerns, please email me at [email protected].
I hope everyone is doing well and trying to enjoy the summer to the best that we can. I know some may be having questions/concerns about the upcoming band camp on the weeks of July 27-31 and August 3-7. The last thing I (or any teacher/administrator) want to do is to put any of our students/staff in danger of COVID. My wife and my mother have weaker immune systems and I would not want to be a carrier that could get them sick, much less any students, staff, or myself.
At this point, there is a ton of discussion going on not only in the CJ administration, but also in with the band directors in the fourstate region. There was a big study that was just released late yesterday about Performing Arts Aerosol. We are going through the research(and other research areas) to discover what procedures that we can do as we move forward.
Please note that fall sports athletics have already been doing summer camps with large numbers of students attending with no cases to report! We hope that this trend will continue, but will maintain caution and follow guidelines.
Please know that any of the following could change at any time depending on what we have recommended.
For now, we are still planning to do band camp for the weeks mentioned above. We are currently having Guard camp this week. For the week of July 27-31, we will be mostly in sectionals with approximately 25 or less students in each sectional. A lot of the mornings will be outside (please drink water leading up to band camp, not just the day of or day before!) For the afternoon sessions inside, we will be in separate rooms and work to keep social distancing. If/when we need to meet as a full band, we will more thank likely use the indoor facility which allows rooms for us to maintain a 6' social distancing between students. The week of Aug.3-7 will have more outdoor marching in the mornings and will work indoors in the afternoon. Again, we will use social distancing as much as possible.
I have seen several emails and posts from music educators about different types of masks/shields that people are designing for the performers to be able to still cover and still play their instruments. I will try to share these as much as possible over the next week or so.
There is a lot of talk of what the fall with school will look like and how specifically marching band will be. At this point, I do not have definite answers. For now, I have been told to plan accordingly like we have in the past with modifications for social distancing and safety. There are talks that competitive marching festivals will not happen. Some of the schools in the central and eastern part of the state have already made that decision. I simply don't know right now. If we cannot do festivals, we will work to have a different performance that allows for safety while still developing our musical skills. I wouldn't mind setting up a more college type atmosphere for our home football games! This could also affect camp as well.
Please know that there is a lot of thought, research, and discussion that is happening. I feel that no matter what I or the school decides, there will be people who will agree or not agree. I can tell you I have been praying a lot over this upcoming year and ask for your grace for any decisions that are made. I will not be making them alone and will follow what the school and government recommend. I care a TON about our kids and want them safe while having a great experience as possible.
If you need to contact me for any concerns, please email me at [email protected].