Lancer holiday concert will be bigger than the auditorium

Dec. 12-13 live streams features concert band and choirs from The Pit

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COVID-19 may wreak havoc with many holiday traditions, but Christmas will still be in the air when North Scott High School students present their annual winter concerts in the upcoming weeks.

Things are just going to be a lot different.

The choral department’s concert will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12, and will be divided into two concerts. The Treble Clef and Bass Clef choruses will take to the Fine Arts Auditorium stage at 3 p.m., with the Women’s Chorale and North Scott Singers performing at 4:15 p.m.

The traditional concert-ending rendition of “O Holy Night” will be sung at both concerts, as members of North Scott Singers will join the two choirs at the end of the 3 p.m. concert.

Seating will be limited. Students in grades 9-11 will receive one ticket to give to parents, while senior singers will receive two. All spectators will be seated in the pods.

(Meet this year's Lancer all-state musicians.)

Masks will be required, and the concerts will be live streamed.

“We’re trying to do the best we can,” said director Lori Potts. “We are trying to give students and parents the same experience this year as in non-Covid times.”

The North Scott band will present its first public concert of the year on Sunday, Dec. 13, in The Pit. Each student will get two tickets to disperse to family members or friends, and the concert will be divided up into four parts, with seat sanitizing taking place between each one.

This year, because of social distancing protocol, the band has been divided into four separate ensembles, and each group will perform separately, in front of different audiences.

Since live streaming is already set up in The Pit for athletic events, the concerts will also be available to the public.

“We will set up the bands on the floor, and audience members will be in the bleachers,” said Carl Collins, North Scott’s assistant band director. “It will definitely look different, and won’t quite be the buttoned-up, grand spectacle that it always is in the auditorium.

“Still, at least it will be a chance for the students to play live, and for parents to come and hear what their kids have been up to, especially since we didn’t have marching band this year. We do realize the importance of live performance, and we are going to try to make sure that concert happens.”

COVID challenges

COVID-19 has created challenges for everybody, and North Scott’s music department hasn’t been immune. Wearing masks to sing and play instruments is just not normal. Neither is social distancing, especially when producing music relies heavily on hearing the person next to you.

“It’s been a challenge to have band this fall,” said Collins. “It’s certainly not normal band, by any means. There are a million and one logistical things that we have to consider now, that we never even thought about in the past.

“From the impact of spacing students out properly, to playing with the masks and bell covers on, to spacing out lesson times and what rooms we use in order to allow for air circulation.

“It’s not been easy for us teachers, and it’s not been easy for the students, either,” he continued. “It’s a totally different ballgame for those guys.”

Ordinarily, the band is divided into two bands, the Concert band and Symphonic band, with each group practicing every day. This year the band has been divided into four smaller bands, and each band meets every other day.

“We have a lot smaller groups (20 to 24 students) because we just can’t distance the way that we need to in full band settings,” said Collins. “We don’t have the distance to put in between the chairs.

“All the chairs are spread out six feet apart. For a student, or any musician, student or otherwise, when you are sitting with six feet around you, all of a sudden you feel really alone and exposed.

“From a confidence standpoint and a security standpoint, that’s a real challenge because they feel that they can only hear themselves,” Collins continued. “Everything we do is trying to get everybody playing together.”

It’s not easy for students.

“We wear performance masks with a little slit in them,” said junior Savannah Connor. “I play the bassoon, and since I have a double reed, I can’t do that without breaking my reed. I have to just pull my mask down, and we just sit far apart and are in smaller groups. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal.”

The challenge is further complicated by the fact that 20 to 25 percent of the band has chosen online learning, but they are still participating in rehearsals via Zoom meetings.

“We set up a camera and some microphones so they are able to log in,” said Collins. “They are able to hear and see everything that we’re doing in the classroom, but the only downside is they can’t play along with us so that we can hear them, because of the delay in the transmission.

“Basically, they mute themselves and play along with what they hear. Everything coming through to them is the live band, so that’s happening in real time, even if there is a little bit of delay.”

Students learning at home can communicate with the directors via a live chat, which means the directors must monitor that as well.

“It just seems like we’re spinning a lot of plates,” said Collins, “including having kids come in and out of quarantine, or just being sick. There are a million and one variables that are thrown at you, and every day looks different. There is nothing routine about this year, for anybody.”

Singing during a pandemic

The school’s choir department has also had to make adjustments, but the logistics aren’t quite as challenging.

“It’s been easy, and it’s been difficult,” said Potts. “It’s easier because the pace has been a little bit slower, but that’s not what we like to do around here. It’s difficult because the kids have to wear masks when they are singing, and the chairs are six feet apart.

“The hardest thing is for the younger students. Everybody has a hard time hearing each other. When you have someone who is inexperienced, they don’t want to sing out because they can’t hear anybody else.”

Choir students also follow strict Covid protocols.

“The students have to wear masks when they are singing, and the chairs are all six feet apart,” said Potts. “We do not use risers in the classroom. We did for the fall concert, but we only had two or three kids on a set of risers. We had to be socially distanced.”

“At first, dealing with Covid was difficult,” said sophomore Cora O’Neill, “and we couldn’t do a lot of things. At first, singing with masks was hard, and you’d run out of breath, but I think we’ve all gotten used to it.”

“It’s been tough, but everybody stays positive, and we find ways to adapt and overcome whatever they throw at us,” said senior Cooper Frank. “It’s been a wild ride for sure, but one to remember.”

holiday concert, christmas, band, chorus, treble clef, bass clef, north scott singers

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