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Thread: Going back to Band?

  1. My brass band started up six weeks ago with outdoor rehearsals. The conductor is a university marching band director who has been dealing with Covid since the beginning. He is very well informed about best practices and I trust his judgement on what is safe and what isn’t.

    My concert band did an online poll about starting back. The majority voted to start back up like the pandemic is over. They are rehearsing with 70+ people in a crowded band room with no Covid mitigation measures. I wish them well but I will not be joining them.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    NYC metro area
    Posts
    522
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeS View Post
    [snip]My concert band did an online poll about starting back. The majority voted to start back up like the pandemic is over. They are rehearsing with 70+ people in a crowded band room with no Covid mitigation measures. I wish them well but I will not be joining them.
    I agree with Mike. I wouldn't be comfortable with indoor rehearsals just yet.

    Last night before the Westchester Band performance, one of the administrators asked me to fill out an updated contact information form. One of the questions was whether or not I was vaccinated. I think it's a good idea to include that question, and well within the rights of the band to take reasonable methods to protect the members.
    Dean L. Surkin
    Mack Brass MACK-EU1150S, BB1 mouthpiece
    Bach 36B trombone; Bach 6.5AL and Faxx 7C mouthpieces (pBone on loan to granddaughter)
    Steinway 1902 Model A, restored by AC Pianocraft in 1988; Kawai MP8, Yamaha KX-76
    See my avatar: Jazz (the black cockapoo; RIP) and Delilah (the cavapoo) keep me company while practicing

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,863
    I am sure I will get a lot of disagreement, based on what I have read here so far.

    When COVID happened early last year, all of Linda's and my music ensembles completely shut down by March. Linda and I have been very careful since then, wearing masks, staying home, only going to places we needed to out of necessity. Both of us got vaccinated in March. I have mild emphysema, and I also had a mild heart attack a few years back. So, I have some conditions that would probably not sit well with COVID. And Linda and I both did things to stay as safe as we could.

    With the vaccination, Linda and I feel quite safe, and we choose to continue with our lives in as normal a manner as possible. Virtually everyone in our New Horizons Band are older folks, probably about all of them are vaccinated (we aren't asking), and they have all mostly come back to playing in mid-April, after all had a chance to be vaccinated. Same for the Rapid City Municipal Band. We are back in full swing with virtually all of the members (60-70). We rehearse indoors and play outdoors in a bandshell. No problems since April that I know of.

    My own personal opinion is that I am vaccinated, I am fairly well protected from getting COVID, and in the slim case that I do get it, it should be mild. That is what I believe, and Linda and I have chosen to get back to our lives. My goodness, if the vaccination doesn't work, then what is the sense of it at all?
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  4. If you are vaccinated, you have minimised your risk.

    Some food for thought:
    https://www.classicfm.com/artists/al...wind-droplets/

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,863
    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn View Post
    If you are vaccinated, you have minimised your risk.

    Some food for thought:
    https://www.classicfm.com/artists/al...wind-droplets/
    Yes, we (Linda and I) have seen and read similar/many aerosol studies over the past year and a half, one even sponsored in part by our own New Horizons International Music Organization (study out of Colorado). Most of those that we have seen dealt with how to play (or not) and what safeguards to incorporate, prior to the vaccination being available. We have also seen some setups that to us border on child abuse, with children inside of individual "tents" with a clear zippered front playing in a band room, each child completely isolated from any other child. You sort of had to see it to believe it. And someone thought that was a good idea!!

    Yes, we feel our risk is minimised to the point that we are satisfied to be returning to what we have enjoyed doing for so long. And 95% or more of our band mates here feel exactly the same.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  6. I haven't seen tents.
    I have seen kids in daycare in 8' x 8' cages.

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn View Post
    If you are vaccinated, you have minimised your risk.

    Some food for thought:
    https://www.classicfm.com/artists/al...wind-droplets/
    While that is certainly true, it is not the only consideration.

    Mike

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    NYC metro area
    Posts
    522
    Quote Originally Posted by dsurkin View Post
    [snip] The community orchestra (in which I play trombone) hasn't yet resumed rehearsals. It uses a local Ethical Culture Society room (i.e., indoors), and that organization is not yet permitting community groups to resume operations. [snip]
    The Ethical Culture Society has opened up for rehearsals. The Westchester Community Orchestra had a board meeting tonight (I'm on the board), and we will resume bi-weekly rehearsals starting September 13th. Vaccinations mandatory, masks must be worn except for wind players while actually playing (so when the trombone parts have 85 measures rest, we'll be masked).

    As one of the board members put it, if we don't resume rehearsals, there's a danger that the orchestra will just fade away. Our main source of funding is member dues. We will pay the expenses of the rehearsal room rental and the conductor's fees (he's the only paid professional) from reserves and not resume collecting dues until 2022. Of course, in the words of one board member, who knows if we'll have to shut down again in the future?
    Dean L. Surkin
    Mack Brass MACK-EU1150S, BB1 mouthpiece
    Bach 36B trombone; Bach 6.5AL and Faxx 7C mouthpieces (pBone on loan to granddaughter)
    Steinway 1902 Model A, restored by AC Pianocraft in 1988; Kawai MP8, Yamaha KX-76
    See my avatar: Jazz (the black cockapoo; RIP) and Delilah (the cavapoo) keep me company while practicing

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,850
    Our band starts back rehearsing again next Monday night. They made it mandatory that all members must be vaccinated — glad they did that. I actually just got a third shot yesterday as I have an auto-immune condition.

    It’s been a year and a half since I’ve played in band and I’m looking forward to it.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  10. I sympathize with you and all the musicians whose concentration activity was disrupted as a result of quarantine. I understand how difficult it is for you to remain without any occupation. But I also want to urge you not to rush to return to the team if the vaccination status is not known and you cannot follow preventive measures in an appropriate manner. Your health and the health of your loved ones is the most valuable thing you have.
    Thanks to the creators of this forum that at this tough moment you can find support and talk here.
    Alicia Haag, Sound Designer, employee monitoring

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