NCB COVID Chronicles, Part 6: Setting Up for Social Distancing
With a new membership policy in place, the planning committee was ready to tackle on-the-ground logistics. Each venue provided its own challenges. The Ed Rudolph Velodrome provided ample space for musicians to social distance from each other, but ingress and egress were more challenging giving the single entrance to the facility. Our rehearsal location at The Grove National Historic Landmark, on the other hand, had three entrances, but required us to be creative with placement of musicians in and around the pavilion. This week in NCB COVID Chronicles, we discuss the setup process for each of our rehearsal locations - one of many puzzles we solved as we held in-person rehearsals.
Our first socially distanced rehearsal at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, August 26, 2020.
SETTING UP THE VELODROME
The abundance of open space at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome was ideal for our first socially distanced rehearsal of the season. Up to this rehearsal, the planning committee was working entirely with hypotheticals. We knew it would be possible to space out musicians in the infield of the velodrome without difficulty. The nearby bleachers provided a visible and safe location for Dr. Thompson. With ample lighting, our musicians would be able to read their music with little-to-no issue. We would only know if these assumptions would prove true when we were in the physical space with musicians for the first time.
Our initial setup was organized in wedges, with each wedge identifying the musicians who could safely enter the velodrome together. In general, the layout mimicked our indoor setup, with clarinets on the right side, brass on the left, and percussion in the back. Each musician was spaced roughly 6 to 8 feet apart. The major adjustment to our setup was with our flute section. As mentioned in last week’s installment of NCB COVID Chronicles, when we first began rehearsals it was assumed flutes were the most problematic wind instrument with regards to the spread of aerosols. With that in mind, the flutes were positioned far out on the north side of the velodrome with plenty of space between each musician.
In many ways, we approached this initial setup like a marching band formation. Each musician had an assigned location on the field, and we would strive to make music despite the setting. (Author sidebar: after nearly 10 years of teaching marching band, I can confirm the listening environment is rarely ideal when in formation.) Our setup prioritized safety over all other factors. There were many moments where it was difficult to play as an ensemble given the distance between musicians, and perhaps the lack of playing as an ensemble for the last several months. During the hour-long rehearsal at the velodrome, each ensemble made tremendous strides in overcoming these listening challenges.
SETTING UP THE GROVE
After our first soiree at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, the team had a better idea of what was needed to efficiently set up rehearsal at our new venue, the pavilion at The Grove National Historic Landmark. First, using a floorplan of our rehearsal space, we produced a scaled seating chart for the musicians, taking into account the amount of social distance we wanted to achieve between each musician. The seating chart was distributed to all members participating in this rehearsal cycle, so everyone knew what to expect when they arrived at the new venue.
Armed with a tape measure and blue painters tape, NCB Business Manager Lauren Whisnant and clarinet Tyler Holstrom prepared the pavilion for weekly rehearsals. The aforementioned seating chart was translated into blue tape X’s, each placed on the ground at 6-foot intervals and labeled with the name of the instrument or person that should stand on the X.
Needless to say, our setup at The Grove was relatively untraditional. The percussion were placed outside the pavilion, along the north entrance. A majority of the wind instruments were located inside the pavilion, with trombones and oboes occupying the eastern perimeter of the space. Flutes were safely placed south of the pavilion, with ample space between each player.
As with our setup at the velodrome, our setup at The Grove prioritized the safety of our members over all else. At times this produced difficult listening environments. For example, an oboe-horn duet in Charles Ives’s Variations on “America” proved challenging given the distance between the two musicians: one inside the pavilion, one outside; the wonderful flute trio in Frank Ticheli’s Shenandoah always sounded a bit soft, with the flutes so far away from the rest of the ensemble. That said, it is safe to say NCB musicians were thankful for the opportunity to make music with their peers again. These listening challenges will only serve to make us better musicians when we return to closer quarters.
X marks the spot at The Grove National Historic Landmark. Even Artistic Director Mallory Thompson had a designated place to stand (on the hearth of a fireplace).
Blue tape X’s identify where musicians should stand to maintain social distance from other musicians in the band.
MOVING TO PARK CENTER
Tonight we are holding our first rehearsal at Park Center, our indoor venue for the cold, winter months. The band has been divided into 10 different groups of unique repertoire and instrumentation, including three miniature concert bands, four brass ensembles, a horn choir, and two wind dectets. With these rehearsal groupings come 10 unique setups and countless yards of painters tape in our future. Be sure to follow Northshore Concert Band on Facebook for the latest updates from Park Center.
Join us on Sunday, November 15, for part two of our at-home concert experience, “A Socially Distanced Celebration.” Subscribe to our newsletter in the footer to be the first to know when we plan to go live! Missed our first at-home concert? Check it out here!
NEXT WEEK: PART 7, MEMBER REFLECTIONS - HEATHER MCCOWEN
Our next installment of NCB COVID Chronicles takes us to the bassoon section for an interview with Heather McCowen. Read about Heather’s introduction to the band, via NCB founder John Paynter, and how she has adapted to playing bassoon standing up. Check back Wednesday, November 11, for Heather’s story!