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ACB Community Forum : COVID-19 and Bands |
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Subject : Returning to Rehearsal Plans?..
08/16/2020 12:01:31 PM
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| Sarah McElfresh |
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Posts: 19
Location: Newport News, VA |
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Some other threads in the forum allude to this, but this is for more, once you have decided you are returning to rehearsal (or have already done so). As Membership Chair I am receiving questions from members wanting to know what other bands are doing and thinking in different parts of the country. If you are willing and able, can you answer any of these questions for your band? Perhaps there is more to add, that you have been thinking about. Personally, I am not on the board of my band, so am not involved with having to cope with the finer details and questions. No two bands are in the exact same situation, and we have different rules and regulations to cope with, but we can learn from each other in our thought processes. These are phrased as questions, but don't need to be answered that way, it was just a way to present the types of things I know people have questions about or that other bands have dealt with in some way.
1A) Is your pre-COVID-19 rehearsal space still going to be available to you?
1B) If so, will it be adequate for any social distancing measures you wish/required to have? Do you need to submit a plan about mitigation measures you are taking? What does that plan look like? Are you responsible for cleaning and sanitizing the space? Did your rental fee increase to cover the increased cleaning they will have to do?
1C) If not, are you actively looking for alternatives? Or are most possible venues in your area unavailable? Or are you taking it as a sign to just wait a little a longer?
1D) Have you considered outdoor rehearsal options and are those available to you? (Several bands are reporting that the parking lots at their rehearsal spots are also off limits by their normal venue. Others are reporting attempting to use outdoor spaces soon)
2) Do you know how you will enforce social distancing and any other measures you have in place?
3) If you are already rehearsing or returning soon will you be doing small ensembles only, or trying to have as close to a full band as possible in the space? (Some areas no longer have limits on the size of gatherings that preclude a band from gathering together, while in other places those limits still have band rehearsal as out of the question.) If you need to limit the number of musicians at each rehearsal, do you know how you will decide who can come?
4) If you "borrow percussion equipment" from your rehearsal venue, will you be allowed to use it? If not, do you have alternatives?
5) If you have gone back to rehearsing - what does it look like? How is it going? Are there things you wish you had thought of before?
6) Other questions being asked involve "How are you keeping your band together and interested?" Both socially and musically in this time away.
Thank you for any information you can share about what you are doing or thinking about doing. It may be a big help to others. |
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Subject : Re:Returning to Rehearsal Plans?..
08/16/2020 03:07:47 PM
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| Henry Slack |
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Posts: 2
Location: Atlanta GA |
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An important question for one and ll: does the hvAC system at your rehearsal space reduce the spread of COVID? Does the HVAC bring in any outside air? (Mine does not, it's 100% recirculated.) Do you have filters rated MERV-13 that can remove COVD particles from the air? (Mine does not). Can you bring in portable HEPA filter units to provide extra filtration?
As an HVAC engineer, I'd encourage all of us to make sure we have outside air brought in and decent filtration. if not, the air is just recirculated, and COVID can spread. You can find guidance through https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources
or find checklists for school re-openings from https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/technical%20resources/covid-19/ashrae-reopening-schools-and-universities-c19-guidance.pdf |
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Mechanical engineer, HVAC and IAQ expert, playing trombone since 1965, and in the same band since 1975 |
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Subject : Re:Returning to Rehearsal Plans?..
08/19/2020 12:12:10 AM
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| Henry Slack |
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Posts: 2
Location: Atlanta GA |
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Another thought:
At US EPA, where we prepared "Tools for Schools" guidance, we encouraged school officials to have a walk-through visual inspection at least once a year Please think about doing this for any space you want to occupy or re-occupy, especially the HVAC.
Where's the outside air coming from? Are there plants by the air intake, or bird poop, or puddles of water? Is the air actually being drawn in? Are the filters in, are they checked and changed regularly?
If everything is great, please Thank The Maintenance Guy who gets little appreciation around the place, and make him some brownies. If something's wrong - metal filters, filters that leak, no filters (I found this once at a doctor's office!), no outside air because equipment is disconnected, no outside air because screens are clogged -- all these problems are easy to fix. But if you don't look, you'll never know these problems exist.
My own band's practice space has no outside air coming in, and lousy filters. I won't rehearse in that sort of space with 40 other people, even though I like them very much, unless we have a vaccine. |
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Mechanical engineer, HVAC and IAQ expert, playing trombone since 1965, and in the same band since 1975 |
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Subject : Re:Returning to Rehearsal Plans?..
08/23/2020 01:44:44 PM
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| Bellefonte Community Band |
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Posts: 1
Location: |
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Hello All,
The Bellefonte Community Band in Bellefonte, PA recently had our first concert since December and Sarah asked if I would share our experience of returning to rehearsals. I will organize my input below under headings so you can easily find what you may be looking for.
The decision to return: The board members of our band began discussing a possible return to rehearsals in mid-June. This was prompted by the resumption of a summer concert series for which we had long been scheduled to perform on August 16. We created a survey for our members to let us know if they were interested in participating in the concert and the rehearsals leading up to it. We were up-front with our schedule and exactly what our safety protocols would be, as well as sharing all of the aerosol research that was available at the time. This allowed our members to make an informed decision about their participation. We also assured our members that there was no obligation to participate and that if we did not have enough interest, we would simply inform the concert organizers that we could not perform this year. Initially, we had about 25 out of 45 members say that they wanted to participate but by the time all was said and done, we had 35 total participants.
Safety Protocols: These points will be elaborated on below but in sum, here are the safety protocols that we established for our rehearsals and performance:
- All rehearsals and performances will be entirely outdoors
- Each person will bring their own chair and stand
- Each person will receive their own music folder to be kept in their possession for the duration
- Chairs will be spaced six feet apart
- Masks will be worn in the vicinity of the rehearsal area until seated
Rehearsal Procedures: We found a park in our area that had ample parking, a level spot for set-up, and trees for shade. One of the trickier logistical considerations was how each person would know where to put their chair while carefully maintaining the six-foot spacing. To solve this issue, we purchased those little vinyl construction flags and wrote each participant's name on one. A small set-up crew arrived early and with the help of a seating chart and a six-foot pole, placed the flags in the ground. That way, when each person arrived, they knew exactly where to place their chair. Additionally, a band member brought his portable PA system, which helped a great deal once rehearsing began.
Repertoire: Initially, when we were expecting only 25 participants, we purchased several flex-band arrangements to comprise at least part of the concert repertoire. Even though we ended up with 35 players and fairly decent instrumentation, the flex-band arrangements helped the players overcome the hesitancy associated with sitting far apart by giving them strength in numbers. In the end, about half of our concert program was flex-band arrangements and half was repertoire we had started to rehearse in January and February, but that still worked well for the smaller group.
How well did this all work?: Through the careful planning and dedication of our board members and set-up crew, as well as the cooperation of all of our participating members, the logistics worked very well. Musically, at first, the players were a bit tentative with the spacing and being outdoors (and the fact that we hadn't rehearsed since March), but it got better with each rehearsal. Encouraging the musicians to play out and not be shy about hearing their own sound helped, as well as emphasizing the importance of active listening across the ensemble. For anyone who had ever participated in marching band, pointing out that we were simply sitting at a four-step interval was appreciated. By the time we got to the concert, the musicians were playing confidently and although some reported that the sound within the ensemble still seemed spread, the collective sound coming out to me (the director) and the audience was pretty homogeneous. Our concert in the park was well-attended (with social distancing observed) and the audience was extremely appreciative of our efforts and music. The band members also had a great time.
What's next?: The whole rehearsal process and concert went so well that we are planning another series of four outdoor rehearsals and a park concert in September. Our current challenge is that as the days get darker earlier, we are looking for either a sports field or parking lot that has lights. Band members will continue to have the option to opt in or opt out for this round. After our concert on September 25, it will likely be getting too cold to continue to rehearse outside, so we will be looking for a large indoor space. As school band rehearsals resume in September, we will all learn more about how well the suggested safety protocols for indoor rehearsals work. We can use this information to inform our decisions as we move into fall and winter.
Final tips/suggestions for resuming with outdoor rehearsals:
- Start planning early and coordinate carefully with your board regarding all the logistics that will need to take place
- Communicate detailed information to your members so they can make informed decisions about their participation
- Understand that being outside and spread apart inherently makes things more difficult for the players. Depending on the skill level of your group, consider repertoire that is easier than you might normally program and that offers "safe" scoring (i.e. strength in numbers).
- Plan for one or two more rehearsals than you might usually need to prepare for a concert so that the players can get use to the new set up and sound.
Sincerely,
Meg Smith
Director, Bellefonte Community Band
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