Anyone else worried about winter concerts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Here's a description of what Strathmore has implemented (concert venue in Rockville), just so you can compare. DD plays her concerts there because she belongs to MCYO, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras.

Every concert-goer above 2 years of age has to provide proof of vaccination or negative PCR test within 72 hours of the concert time. Anyone concert-goer entering the building over 2 years of age must wear a mask.

For MCYO kids and conductors and all the students and staff coming into the building (they have other instrumental, voice and chorus groups), masks worn must be N95, KN95, or KF94, and/or any specialized singing, woodwind and brass masks and PPE covers for blown instruments. No surgical or cloth masks allowed. They must all show proof of vaccination (or have negative PCR tests within 72 hours of showing up for rehearsal), and for the 5-11 group, they will start asking for proof of vaccination in January.

On top of that, the building is disinfected regularly and ventilation was upgraded to something really powerful that recycles all the inside air in 15-20 minutes (I forget the name).

Strathmore has had practically no cases of Covid since the beginning of the year, thanks to these draconian measures.

I know some of these things cannot be implemented in public schools, but I just wanted to share what kind of measures are needed to keep Delta at bay. Omicron is much more transmissible, so we'll see whether we can still keep going next year.

I think the N95/KN95/KF94 mask selection could be implemented in public schools, though, if public school systems bought a stock for students and staff - publics in our area are well-funded and can well afford them! The presence of barely protective cloth or surgical masks in crowded school settings contributes to spread.

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what the 9:30 Club is doing? That seems equally relevant.

They require vaccination of attendees, and MCPS doesn’t seem inclined to go there.

Our orchestra had a concert and had a positive announcement within a day. Huge concern.

Well, clearly they didn't get Covid at the concert if the positive case was announced the next day. And unless you had multiple positive cases among attendees over the next week, then that one case didn't spread it at the concert, either. So whatever precautions were taken must have worked.

They brought it into the concert. They only reported symptoms after the concert is over. No one would report positives from attending. Be real. They do the best they can but if parents send their kids in sick it’s a problem. They should require testing for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

...vaccination means nothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

...vaccination means nothing?

Kids who are getting vaccinated are still getting covid so to say because you are vaccinated, you cannot get covid is false. They should have had everyone test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

...vaccination means nothing?

Kids who are getting vaccinated are still getting covid so to say because you are vaccinated, you cannot get covid is false. They should have had everyone test.

Here is what vaccination does:

1. Reduces the likelihood that you will become infected with SARS-CoV-2
2. Reduces the likelihood that, if infected, you will have symptoms (i.e., have covid)
3. Reduces the likelihood that, if infected, you will transmit the infection to someone else
4. Reduces that likelihood that, if you have symptoms, you will become severely ill
5. Reduces the likelihood that, if you become severely ill, you will die

All of those things.


3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

...vaccination means nothing?

Kids who are getting vaccinated are still getting covid so to say because you are vaccinated, you cannot get covid is false. They should have had everyone test.

People who wear seatbelts are still getting injured in car crashes so to say because you are wearing your seatbelt, you cannot get injured is false.

Wait, actually, nobody says that about seatbelts, and nobody says it about vaccinations either.

[Anonymous]

Our ES band concert is virtual. Kids are playing songs in their lesson groups, director will put them into a presentation and we can watch.

Best band concert ever!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our ES band concert is virtual. Kids are playing songs in their lesson groups, director will put them into a presentation and we can watch.

Best band concert ever!

My HS kid did their band, honors band, and private studio concerts that way last year. I cannot tell you how happy they were to be able to play in person with their ensemble this fall. There's something energizing about playing music with other people, and it was completely missing for them all last year. They felt like they were playing into a void half the time.

That said, if someone had offered me the chance back in the day to skip the sweaty elementary school gym and the 1,427 squeaky clarinets, I'd have taken them up on it in a heartbeat.

[Anonymous]

No they should be canceled

[Anonymous]

Our elementary school strings concert was canceled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our ES band concert is virtual. Kids are playing songs in their lesson groups, director will put them into a presentation and we can watch.

Best band concert ever!

My HS kid did their band, honors band, and private studio concerts that way last year. I cannot tell you how happy they were to be able to play in person with their ensemble this fall. There's something energizing about playing music with other people, and it was completely missing for them all last year. They felt like they were playing into a void half the time.

That said, if someone had offered me the chance back in the day to skip the sweaty elementary school gym and the 1,427 squeaky clarinets, I'd have taken them up on it in a heartbeat.

the squeaky clarinets! Ouch! What did you play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our elementary school strings concert was canceled.

That is sad for the kids (although like the squeaky-clarinet PP, I would have been personally overjoyed as a parent to not have to sit through an elementary school strings concert...). They are missing out on so much. Cumulatively we have done, and continue to do, a lot of damage to the kids.

[Anonymous]

I'm just in shock your MS does all the concerts on the same night even pre-Covid. What school does this? Do they hold the concerts at the high school? If the gym, how big is your gym that they can fit everyone?

So glad our MS holds the concerts on individual nights (orchestra one night, band another night, chorus another night)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Here's a description of what Strathmore has implemented (concert venue in Rockville), just so you can compare. DD plays her concerts there because she belongs to MCYO, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras.

Every concert-goer above 2 years of age has to provide proof of vaccination or negative PCR test within 72 hours of the concert time. Anyone concert-goer entering the building over 2 years of age must wear a mask.

For MCYO kids and conductors and all the students and staff coming into the building (they have other instrumental, voice and chorus groups), masks worn must be N95, KN95, or KF94, and/or any specialized singing, woodwind and brass masks and PPE covers for blown instruments. No surgical or cloth masks allowed. They must all show proof of vaccination (or have negative PCR tests within 72 hours of showing up for rehearsal), and for the 5-11 group, they will start asking for proof of vaccination in January.

On top of that, the building is disinfected regularly and ventilation was upgraded to something really powerful that recycles all the inside air in 15-20 minutes (I forget the name).

Strathmore has had practically no cases of Covid since the beginning of the year, thanks to these draconian measures.

I know some of these things cannot be implemented in public schools, but I just wanted to share what kind of measures are needed to keep Delta at bay. Omicron is much more transmissible, so we'll see whether we can still keep going next year.

I think the N95/KN95/KF94 mask selection could be implemented in public schools, though, if public school systems bought a stock for students and staff - publics in our area are well-funded and can well afford them! The presence of barely protective cloth or surgical masks in crowded school settings contributes to spread.

We have had several positives from MCYO and they don’t clean more than normal. The venue is large so people could space out but most did not. The had the kids packed together when they were not playing. They try to a point but you have a false sense of security.

And, younger kids are not fully vaccinated and at this point it means nothing.

I'm the PP you replied to. My point is that compared to my children's MCPS schools, it's incredibly clean, well-run, with very few Covid cases. I received 7 notifications of Covid cases in my son's high school yesterday, 4 notifications in my daughter's middle school yesterday and two notifications today. I've only received one notification from MCYO this week, and it's the first in ages, whereas not a week goes by when I don't receive at least one from my children's schools.

There are also two other key differences: they request specific types of masks, they require proof of vaccinations or proof of negative tests from half of the MCYO cohort, which is all much more strict than anything MCPS does.

So, no, I don't have a false sense of security. The differences are very real.

[Anonymous]

PP, nothing is that clean nor has that great air circulation and many Mcyo kids have not been fully vaccinated in the practice sessions. You have a false sense of security. Plus it is all self reporting.