The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
MUSIC, MARCHING AND MASKS
Marching Band campers adapting to new normal
Lorain High School’s band players hope to take the field with music and masks for the upcoming fall sports season.
The Lorain High Titans Marching Band began its band camp July 20.
In Lorain and around Ohio, schools have been closed for months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and then summer vacation.
It appeared the Titan band camp was one of the earliest returns to a school-related activity in the county.
Students in grades nine and 10 started July 20; juniors and seniors reported the next day.
“The freshmen and the sophomores were totally awesome yesterday,” high school Band Director Timothy Sivik said July 21. “Every student came in with a mask and they followed our procedures; we didn’t have to remind them.
“They were very professional. I was very proud of them and the same thing today with our upperclassmen. They are going along with the flow and being very cooperative.
“They were very professional. I was very proud of them and the same thing today with our upperclassmen. They are going along with the flow and being very cooperative.” — Band Director Timothy Sivik
“You can tell they’re very, very, very, very excited to be back in school. Very excited.”
What next?
The camp will run through Aug. 14 with abbreviated hours, divided student sections and uncertainty about exactly what will happen in coming weeks due to COVID-19.
“It’s a day-to-day affair,” Sivik said.
He credited the help of CEO/Superintendent Jeff Graham, Lorain High School Principal Patrick Coleman and district Athletic Director Bryan Koury to get band camp started.
Graham emphasized student safety is the top priority of the school leaders.
He cited the guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health and Lorain County Public Health Commissioner David Covell for assistance.
“Our point was, we can’t meet unless we can meet all these guidelines,” Graham said. “Our people have worked very hard to make that happen.”
Staying safe
Along with music and uniforms, this year’s camp includes a two-page list of safety protocols for participating students.
Lorain High band leaders are following guidelines by the National Federation of State High School Associations and College Band Directors National Association.
Those organizations commissioned a study to see how coronavirus might travel from students’ breath emitted by singing or blowing through musical instruments.
The band leaders hope to add bell covers for brass and woodwinds.
Students are encouraged to take their instruments home and bring them each day for practice.
That will alleviate students gathering in the storage room.
In the rehearsal room, the students take periodic breaks and go outside to let the air conditioning system circulate and vent air inside.
Outside, the band members stand at least six feet apart, Sivik said.
When performing, they are four steps away from each other, or 7 ½ feet in distance, he said.
“It actually seems to be going well,” Sivik said. “I will tell you, some parents and kids are apprehensive to come back, but we’re doing what we can do to do this safely.”
The band last year had about 140 members.
“Right now, we are a little bit down, but that’s to be expected,” said Sivik, who predicted more students will come when they and their parents see the safety precautions in place.
Graham addressed band camp in a newsletter emailed late July 22.
“If you choose for your child to not participate in band camp this year, this will not exclude your child from participating in band when school resumes,” he said. “However, students who haven’t learned the songs and choreography at band camp, may not be able to march along with their peers during halftime.
“As such, an alternative will be provided for these students.”
Masked musicians
It is a little creepy to see everyone wearing masks, Sivik said, but it also feels good for the mobile musicians to assemble.
“It was very nice for me to see how excited the kids were to come back to school,” he said. “They really do miss it and there’s a connection there with the school, with their friends and their teachers.”
Just a few months ago, students missed out on the normal end of the school year and graduating seniors had to stifle many of their celebrations, Sivik said.
“One of the sad parts about this COVID thing is that kids are missing out,” he said. “It’s a rough time for them.
“They’re sacrificing a lot. A lot.”