'Keep the music going': live concerts during a pandemic
Plus, the approach other higher-education institutions are taking for 2021 commencement ceremonies
Good morning, and happy Wednesday. On this pre-pandemic date in 2016, the Italian house screened the documentary “My Italian Secret” at Max Kade Theatre. (This year, the Italian house is hosting socially-distanced events for their residents.)
Today, we explain how Colorado College’s Department of Music has continued holding socially-distanced concerts during the pandemic. Also, we break down other colleges’ and universities’ plans for May commencement ceremonies.
➡️ICYMI: On Monday, our resident microbiologist Phoebe Lostroh gave her weekly forecast for El Paso County. She also explained how retail stores are helping with vaccine rollout.
✉️In Your Inbox:
On Wednesday, CC announced its campus would be moving to “Alert Level 1,” citing low weekly positivity rates.
On Thursday, a student living off campus received a positive test and is now in isolation. This person was in Packard Hall on Wednesday.
On Monday, a student living off campus and a staff member received positive tests and are now in isolation. The student was on Washburn Field last weekend and the staff member worked in the Fine Arts Center on Thursday.
CC Communications sent out a “Prevent the Block Break Outbreak” email, where they strongly encouraged students to stay local for this block break, and engage in lower-risk activities.
Photo courtesy of Kate Nelson ‘17
🎶CC’s Department of Music performs through the pandemic
At the beginning of the pandemic, Susan Grace, associate chair of the department of music, said many students were feeling isolated, and that it was clear they needed an outlet for performance.
So, after clearing their plans with college leadership, the department began to organize socially-distanced concerts for the Colorado College community, starting with the Summer Music Festival in June, despite hundreds of musical events being canceled throughout the United States.
The concerts have continued since last summer, and the music department has collaborated with faculty and student performers throughout North America to host regular live performances through their Live from Packard Hall and their Music at Midday series, the latter of which takes place every third Wednesday at 12:15.
Grace said the concerts have been “really successful,” and have connected students to a larger community.
“Suddenly they could see their friends again, obviously socially-distanced, or they could make music with somebody else and that was so important to them,” Grace said. “That’s when I knew this was the right thing to do.”
Making it happen: safety precautions for the concerts
As you might imagine, several precautions are put in place to make sure the live concerts are safe for those in attendance.
Firstly, the department limited the pool of individuals eligible to attend to members of the CC community — in other words, students, staff, and faculty — and capped the amount of people allowed to be in attendance, which is rarely above 10% of its capacity.
Music Production Coordinator Kate Nelson ‘17, who has been responsible for many of the department’s live concerts, said that part of her job is to make sure that the people coming through the doors of the performance hall are allowed to be there.
“I will be there, checking Gold Cards, making sure that everyone there is approved to be on campus and okay to be in that space,” Nelson said. “The biggest thing is just making sure that everyone’s safe onstage and then also offstage before and after a performance.”
For performers, that means being seated six feet away from others, plexiglass shields for wind instrument players, and designated routes for musicians to follow when walking on or off the stage, in order to maintain social-distancing before and after performances.
Additionally, music department staff wipe down instruments between uses, and performers who are able to are required to wear masks throughout the show, with singers even donning specialized masks that allow enough space to move their mouths comfortably.
For those that cannot attend the concerts in person, the music department has broadcast the performances live on their YouTube and Facebook pages.
Nelson said they are averaging around only 10 in-person attendants per concert, but online, the performances are getting thousands of views.
While the virtual broadcasts were started as a measure to include people that couldn’t attend the events live, Grace said that she would like to keep the livestreaming of student concerts going even after the pandemic.
“I think that’s a great way of reaching out to our parents and to other people’s friends,” Grace said. “I think it connects us more with a larger community.”
What’s next for music at CC?
Looking ahead to a light at the end of the tunnel, Grace said she was happy that the co-presidents have approved the music festival to be on campus this coming June, so long as COVID numbers remain steady.
While Grace said it was too early to make decisions about who will be able to attend, the department is “doing all kinds of things” like booking space behind the Fine Arts Center so they can have outdoor orchestra concerts.
“I feel really good about what we’ve done and keeping the music going,” Grace said.
🎓Countdown to commencement: a look at what other higher-education institutions are planning
In the calendar for the 2020-2021 year, Colorado College has listed two separate commencements — one for this year’s graduating class and one for last year’s. However, it remains unclear whether the Class of 2021 will get to graduate in-person, or if the Class of 2020 will be able to return after their ceremony was postponed. The college has said it will release an official plan in March — so here is a look at what other institutions have planned.
Middlebury College will be holding an in-person commencement for seniors studying on campus, but not those studying remotely. The ceremony will occur on May 3, and guests will also not be allowed to attend. While the college initially had hoped to be able to bring back the Class of 2020 alongside the 2021 graduates, the college said that pandemic conditions will likely not permit it.
Bowdoin College also plans to hold an in-person, on-campus commencement in late-May. The college said family members and other guests should plan to attend the ceremonies virtually. The college cited “the state of the COVID-19 pandemic— including the new variants of the virus and the slower-than-expected rollout of vaccinations,” for their decision to not allow non-students.
Commencement for the Classes of 2021 and 2020 at Claremont McKenna College is expected to be both in-person and on-campus, but no date has been set yet. Pitzer College and Scripps College, which are parts of the Claremont Colleges, have released no solid plan, but Scripps has said it will be celebrating both 2020 and 2021 graduates this spring.
Carleton College will be holding in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies June 12 if in-person classes are still in session at the end of the college’s spring term. The college is unsure as to whether it will be able to invite families and loved ones onto campus for the celebration but will be providing another update on Feb. 26.
Brown University also aims to give their Class of 2021 an in-person commencement in early May with virtual guests. Students studying abroad will be expected to graduate remotely. The university said their original plan to also welcome back the Class of 2020 to hold “a once-in-a-lifetime double Commencement and Reunion Weekend” is now infeasible due to the public health situation.
The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, will only be holding virtual graduation ceremonies this May, and plans to hold in-person commencement celebrations for the classes of 2020 and 2021 “when it is safe and feasible” to do so. The university said its virtual event will be livestreamed and available to everyone.
Loyola-Marymount University also plans to hold commencement ceremonies virtually. The university will have three days of ceremonies — one each for their undergraduate, graduate, and law students. It also vowed to hold in-person celebrations when safe to do so for both the classes of 2020 and now 2021.
Some schools are welcoming both students and guests to their coming in-person commencements.
The University of Oklahoma announced it will be holding in-person events for 2020 and 2021 graduates. Students will be required to register for their graduation ceremonies, and once they do so, the university will determine the number of guests they may bring. Tickets will be required for students and their guests in order to attend.
Commencement for the class of 2021 at the University of Notre Dame is tentatively scheduled for May 21-23, with finalized plans being released during the first week of March. Right now, there will be a limited number of family members and guests allowed to attend the celebration in person, but that number has not yet been decided. The university has provided virtual alternatives for people who cannot attend in person.
Missouri State University has decided to have commencement ceremonies from May 13-14 at the JQH Arena. Each ceremony will be capped at 750 graduates, and each student may have up to four guests. There will be no requirement for tickets or reservations.
About the CC COVID-19 Reporting Project
The CC COVID-19 Reporting Project is created by Colorado College student journalists Esteban Candelaria, Lorea Zabaleta, and Cameron Howell in partnership with The Catalyst, Colorado College’s student newspaper. Work by Phoebe Lostroh, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at CC and National Science Foundation Program Director in Genetic Mechanisms, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, will appear every Monday.
The project seeks to provide frequent updates about CC and other higher education institutions during the pandemic by providing original reporting, analysis, interviews with campus leaders, and context about what state and national headlines mean for the CC community.
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