In the age of this pandemic, many people have been faced with losses. At the beginning, everything was postponed. Sports were postponed, performances were postponed, even school dances were postponed. But as more and more weeks passed by, it became apparent that nothing was returning to normal anytime soon. Then came the new school year, and more questions arose about the status of these activities. At this point in time, everything has once again been postponed, and all that we can do as a collective, is hope for the best in the coming months.
One group that unfortunately does not receive a whole lot of recognition, would be the musicians. The band kids, the students in choir. While these groups focus on refining their skills each as individuals, they also are tasked with coming together and working as a team in preparation for performances throughout the year. Without any sort of performances to prepare for at this point in time, and the inability to practice with each other in person, it has become a bit of a struggle for new students to find their niche within these programs.Junior Emily Pierson shared, “Mr. Moore (the band director) is trying his best. The lessons and practice highly rely on YouTube songs and personal practice. The new students really need help but due to the pandemic we can't have our meet and greets so it's like having an outsider in the band because they don’t know anyone.” Team development is obviously a bit of a struggle, but some students have also found that this time provides a lot of room for individual growth. Nohemi Vela, who is also a junior shared, “Band during corona has definitely been a very difficult and different experience since our purpose is to work as a team and unite in harmony… and trying to do that through zoom is not helping. We are doing things very different now and for obvious reasons are not playing as a whole for now, but we work on a lot of theory and individual development.”
Choir students are also trying to make the best of their situation. Even though it isn’t possible to sing together currently, choir director Mrs. Carey still does her best to help keep students uplifted while singing. Whether it's fun warmups or learning new songs, the choir class is still going strong, and holding on to the hope that they will be able to practice with each in person in the coming months. Senior Autumn Henriksen shared, “It’s been hard and definitely a lot different but we’re working through it and trying to stay positive as a class. I think we’re all learning the music pretty well too.”
The pandemic has shifted the lives of everyone. In one way or another, we have all lost something. But even in these times of uncertainty, it is important to make the best of our situations and keep on keeping on. “Because sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.” -Unknown