Avon Maitland secondary school music students may actually be able to play their brass and wood wind instruments soon.
Superintendent, Kate Creery says concerns about transmission of COVID-19, particularly aerosol or through sharing of instruments prevented them from actually playing the instruments, so they spent most of this year learning theory and music appreciation.
“So our students were prohibited from playing any instruments, including any of our brass instruments, trumpet, or any of our wood winds and you can imaging that's challenging for any of kids who selected music because they're passionate about the saxophone or the clarinet.”
Creery says the blue print for how to proceed with allowing students to play brass and wind originated with the Huron Perth Separate School Board, which they shared with the Avon Maitland Board and provided the logistics, staring with the outline for how classes need to be set up.
“The outline for how classes need to be set up and for the masking and the bell-covers that go over the instruments, we need to have many feet of distance between our students and we need to be playing outside and have constant cleaning.”
Creery says they offer music at all of the board's secondary school, so there are lot of students and teachers that are happy about getting back to play. She says it's unlikely they'll be able to perform any of the live concerts they usually do this, but a virtual presentation is still a possibility.