Davis High band classes adapt to COVID-19

PHOTO: Inside the band room, students must follow strict COVID-19 guidelines to play their instruments safely.

By Mattias RowenBale,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff-

Considering brass instruments cannot be played through face masks, Davis High bands have had to follow different protocols than other classes on campus.

Six foot distance and increased airflow is especially important in the band room, where students must remove their masks to play. Flutists must wear face shields while playing, and all other instruments are covered. 

The Concert Band and Jazz Band classes are small enough that they can maintain distance in the band room, but the size of the DHS Symphonic Band poses an additional challenge. 

“We scramble to find a place for them,” DHS band director Thomas Slabaugh said.

On days where the weather is good, the Symphonic Band is able to practice outside. But now that it’s getting cold, the band is forced to bounce around between various locations. 

Currently, the only indoor venue able to accommodate them is the Brunelle Theater. This leaves them to practice either in the audience of the theater or on the stage itself, both of which come with their own problems. 

According to band member Max Beatty, practicing in the audience is “hard because everyone’s really spaced apart.” Their other option, the stage, “is also hard because the sound travels way differently than what we’re used to in the band room.” 

The band classes have been following very strict COVID procedures ever since their return to campus. This means that there has not been a chance for the students to get to play together as a full ensemble without obstacles such as instrument coverings or unpredictable environments getting in their way.

“It’s hard for them to really develop a good ensemble sound when they can’t have a predictable environment,” Slabaugh said.