Musicians Adapt to Social Distancing Guidelines

by Duncan Wall

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of life, and music is no exception. And as schools reopened, musical ensembles resumed. For string players and percussionists, precautions are simple- 6 feet apart, masks, just like everything else, and it’s fine. However, wind players- woodwind and brass instruments, were more difficult- how do you prevent the spread of the coronavirus, an airborne disease, from occurring, when everyone is playing instruments designed to move air? 6 feet doesn’t work. Plus, since players need use of their mouths to play, normal masks are impossible to use.

It sounds like an invitation for disaster, but innovative thinkers have developed solutions to work around the risks. Firstly, 6 feet isn’t enough to prevent the spread of the virus when playing wind instruments, but 12 feet is. Second, musicians have developed bell covers. They cover the end of the instrument, almost like an instrument mask. To solve the mask issue, some settings do away with masks altogether. However, other ensembles use specially made masks that are designed to allow the user to both play and be safe at the same time.

The Empire State Youth Orchestra is a prestigious young musician’s ensemble that, while unconnected to Niskayuna, involves many Niskayuna music students. There, they used a combination of 6 and 12 feet for wind players: 6 feet from side to side, where there is no more risk than normal of viral spread, as the bells of the instruments are not facing that way, and 12 feet between rows. Additionally, ESYO used bell covers to further reduce the chance of spread. Amazingly, the bell covers only had a small effect on sound. Interestingly, for a while, they did not require musicians to wear masks while playing, but recently they are required to wear masks while resting in between playing. Not a single case spread due to the orchestra, so the precautions must have worked!

Here at Niskayuna, both the 12 feet of social distance and the special masks were used in the high school bands. However, middle school bands are held virtually. This is a much larger amount of space than 6 feet, and it’s led to students sometimes having to play in a room across the hall in order to fit everyone safely, but the 12 feet system was managed. Dozens of specially made masks arrived in order to allow musicians to play more safely. There are many variants of safe masks available, but the ones used here have a hole cut in them, with a flap over it. When we’re playing, we turn up the flap, and when we’re not playing we put it back down. It can sometimes be annoying, but it hasn’t affected the playing too badly. Like the Empire State Youth Orchestra, we also used bell covers to make things even safer.

All this is good, you may say, but what about concerts? Isn’t that an essential part of music making? It is, and there are ways around the inherent danger in a live audience. Most of the time, including for the school ensembles, band members play along to a recording while recording themselves, and the teachers put the ensemble together. However, the Youth Orchestra was fortunate in that we were able to follow in the footsteps of most professional orchestras these days. The group recorded an entire concert together, live, in Proctor's Theatre, with no audience. It’s not the same as a live concert, but it’s definitely better than nothing, and certainly better than getting COVID-19.

In short, we may have to take many precautions, but music can continue to be made, as it has been for millennia, and will be for millennia to come.