NCB COVID Chronicles, Part 5: Planning for the New Normal
In our fifth installment of NCB COVID Chronicles, we explore the various considerations our planning committee made to ensure band members felt safe returning to in-person music making. This process included the formation of a new membership policy, splitting the band into multiple smaller groups to allow for social distancing, and continually monitoring scientific findings to provide optimal recommendations for our musicians.
Artistic Director Mallory Thompson rehearses a segment of the band during an October rehearsal at The Grove National Historic Landmark.
After weeks of meticulous discussions, planning, and brainstorming, the COVID-19 planning committee was ready to present their findings and suggestions to the membership. On July 22, a full band Zoom call was held to discuss our plans for resuming rehearsals. The committee felt it was important for members to hear about many of the details directly from Mallory Thompson. Dr. Thompson, by-and-large, took the lead in walking the band through recent scientific findings on the safety of playing wind instruments around others, our plans for the fall season, and fielded many questions about member safety and protocol.
At this point we surveyed the band members. Were people comfortable attending an outdoor, socially distant rehearsal in late August? Might they be interested in attending additional outdoor rehearsals in September and October? What were we missing that might be important to the membership?
Crafting a New Membership Policy
One of the many critical tasks necessary to resuming rehearsals was crafting a new membership policy for these circumstances. Our typical policy covers operational details, such as attendance expectations and appropriate concert attire. It was apparent this policy needed a major overhaul for our unconventional season.
The primary objective of our COVID-19 rehearsal policy was to outline and enforce safety guidelines for all musicians participating in socially distanced rehearsals. Key points of the policy include:
Guidelines for symptom monitoring, protocol for when to refrain from attending rehearsal, and how to report a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis so contact tracing could be initiated
Social distancing requirements for before, during, and after rehearsals
Personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations, including when face coverings are required and the use of absorbent pads for brass players to collect condensation from their instruments
Communication protocol for rehearsal logistics, including enrollment in NCB’s Remind 101 classroom to receive text message notifications
An important component of the updated membership policy was retention of band members post-pandemic. As mentioned in the first installment of NCB COVID Chronicles, the committee wanted to empower band members to make their own decisions about returning to rehearsal based on their own comfort level. Along with that empowerment came the promise to retain positions for all members when normal operations resume.
Concerned that any verbose policy was likely to be skimmed and important information missed, the committee supplemented this policy with simple, easy-to-digest documents. These included a health questionnaire, intended to assist members in making a decision about whether or not to attend rehearsal; a frequently asked questions list, which took the policy and translated it into a simple bulleted list; and a graphic summary of precautions and protocol on our online member portal.
Dividing the Band
With state and local regulations prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people, Dr. Thompson was tasked with dividing the band into smaller groups. At the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, the band could be roughly divided in half. The pavilion at The Grove required a bit more strategy, with a maximum capacity of roughly 30 musicians at one time. This resulted in three groups of relatively balanced instrumentation, which rehearsed on a weekly rotation with two groups per week.
Given the amount of time many members spend commuting to and from rehearsal, Thompson worked to select repertoire that would be musically gratifying. Each group was assigned a unique set of works spanning NCB classics, wind band standards, and pop tunes from the band’s typical summer repertoire.
“When I created the three groups, I tried to make them equal in terms of ability level,” says Thompson. “The repertoire is as balanced as I could make it. Everybody has a march, a medley, a British piece, a project piece, and a slow piece. I wanted it to be musically fun and challenging. There’s never a rehearsal that I’m not thinking about people who drive an hour to get there.”
Planning Ahead
As we wrap up our outdoor rehearsals at The Grove National Historic Landmark and prepare for the transition to indoor rehearsals at Park Center, the committee has essentially restarted the research and planning process.
Scientific findings are changing at a rapid pace. When we first assessed the safety of rehearsing, flutes were considered to be the most dangerous instrument with regards to aerosol spread. At our first rehearsal at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, flutes were positioned as far away as possible with 12 or more feet between each player. Flutes are positioned well outside of the pavilion at The Grove, as well, in hopes of keeping them engaged at a safe distance. New scientific findings suggest flutes are much safer than originally assessed, and oboes are the more problematic instrument.
The same study identifying the spread of aerosols from instruments tested the efficacy of PPE for musicians. When we begin rehearsals indoors, all members will be required to use musician-specific face masks and fitted bell covers. The face masks are designed to allow a mouthpiece or reed to enter the mask without allowing much air to escape via the nose and mouth. Bell covers provide protection at the other end of the instrument by reducing the transmission of aerosols when playing.
In addition, members will adhere to a strict rehearsal schedule, allowing the air in the rehearsal space to “rest” for 30 minutes between groups. This is yet another step we are taking out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our musicians.
Park Center further reduces the number of musicians in each rehearsal grouping to 20 members or less. The repertoire selections will likely veer from the “chestnuts” we have been rehearsing at The Grove, given the limited number of musicians per group. “My primary goal was to be sure the 58 people wanting to play indoors are given opportunities,” says Thompson, “We will have woodwind dectets, brass ensembles, and three small mixed wind ensembles playing fun and varied repertoire.”
Stay tuned for videos and images from our indoor rehearsals starting next week.
For the first time this season, we have saxophones! Russel Kerns and Matthew Beck have joined the group and will be heading indoors with us at Park Center (albeit covering the oboe parts)!
Next Week: Part 6, Setting Up for Social Distancing
How do we maintain social distance while rehearsing? How do the members know how far to stand from each other? How did we determine who got to be inside the pavilion, and who was placed outside? Next Wednesday, read about how we meticulously prepared our rehearsal venues for safe music making (with two dedicated band members and countless rolls of painters tape).
Need a little NCB before then? Check us out on social media for the latest news and goings-on of the band!