Written by: Matt Goettle - DHS Choir Director
Covid-19 presented many challenges to the DHS Music Department when school started in September. We wanted to find a way for students to be successful, so following guidelines from the CDC, and local and state guidelines, we came up with a plan. The plan included spacing students as far apart as possible, wearing masks when necessary, using screens to sing through, changing classroom locations, putting bell covers on instruments, and limiting the amount of time singing or playing.
As the school year progressed, that plan continued to be modified to follow new guidelines and restrictions, and sometimes we followed the lead of what other schools were doing, and in a few cases, I think we were pioneers as well. One example of being a pioneer was how we conducted the Fall choral concert. We held it in the gym with the choir student being spaced between 8 – 12 feet apart on the bleachers. Each student was allowed two guests, and the audience sat on the opposite set of bleachers. The concert was split in the middle to allow one set of students and audience members to leave before the next group came in.
Victoria Moreno, a senior at DHS shared her thoughts on choir during the pandemic, "Singing during the pandemic has been completely different. The last time I was in choir was in the 8th grade. I remember hugging people, laughing, and singing at the top of my lungs! But now, the world seems kind of gray and being able to sing brings color back into my life. At first everything was awkward with the masks and all, but not it just feels like a muffled normal".
In December, the choir performed fully masked in the auditorium, again with a limited audience capacity. The band students played Christmas and Holiday duets and trios to send out through the digital world. The pep band was able to play for five games toward the end of the season, and it was great to fill the gym with sound! In March, the band performed its first concert of the year, and the choir sang once more; this time, both to a much bigger audience thanks to new capacity guidelines.
When it’s all said and done, we overcame the challenges, and the music students of DHS were able to have a successful year despite Covid-19.