By Sarah Brager
COVID-19 brings many uncertainties for the upcoming school year; while the plan for the fall has been released by the district, certain details are still undetermined, like what extracurriculars are going to look like. Despite this unpredictability, Hays High School band students are preparing for the fall semester like any other, with the proper safety precautions of course. For them, the show must go on.
In-person band rehearsals started July 13, but they recently launched their “summer band process,†where they begin learning marching fundamentals and playing as a full ensemble. Band students will be rehearsing Mondays-Thursdays until Aug 13. To ensure this is a safe process, students are required to fill out a health assessment form and take temperature checks each morning, and masks are worn when they are not playing instruments.
“Safety of the band members is our number one priority as we go through this dangerous time. The Hays band is really lucky to be in a location where we are able to still hold summer band, while maintaining proper safety precautions. This really puts the spotlight on us, and all eyes around the central Texas area will be watching to see whether or not we succeed in keeping our band members safe,” Assistant Drum Major Caiden Borrego said.
Many students were anxious to kick off summer band rehearsals — with the disrupted school year coming up, it is nice to have a sense of normalcy back in their lives. The in-person rehearsals are optional; however, rising senior and Drum Major Gabe Lecca believes face-to-face instruction is “essential for the arts.”
“Unlike most subjects, the arts, especially music, cannot be taught efficiently over a computer screen. There is a certain cohesiveness that an ensemble has during rehearsals, and if a student does not learn to experience that they will not develop the fundamental skills to be a successful musician,” Lecca said.
Rising senior and First Assistant Drum Major Natalie Odom explained the specifics of the summer band process. The band is divided into brass and woodwinds, and each half has a designated day to practice. The A/B day schedule was used last year to prevent overcrowding, but it was quickly implemented again this year to promote social distancing.
“We generally treat these like any other rehearsals,” Odom said. “Most of our rehearsals are pretty spaced out anyway so it feels normal. The overall attitude has been positive lately - most of us were mentally prepared for the season to get canceled, so the opportunity to have Summer Band this year was a relief.”
The student’ leadership responsibilities have changed due to COVID-19; not only does the drum major team assist other students, but they now help ensure the safety of others by enforcing the mask and sanitation policies. The band has also reached out to booster volunteers for extra help in enforcing these safety protocols.
“We have very strict safety guidelines to ensure there is no person-to-person contact and that students have the means to sanitize at any point during the day. This is a completely voluntary activity and we are working hard to keep those that want to see this program succeed safe,” Lecca emphasized.
While football season is still up in the air, the band has set a date for their UIL competition on Dec. 3. They will be working toward that while simultaneously practicing their marching on the field. Uncertainty will not get in the way of hard work.
“All in all, we will work around any obstacle in front of us. The Hays band is resilient and will find a way to perform while following school protocol to keep our members safe,” Odom said.
