I have two music kids. FCPS HS kids band has trumpets playing. They try for outside, but they also play inside at the HS level.

My older kid goes to Oberlin, where the Conservatory kids have been playing woodwinds and doing opera all year. They go 3-4 weeks at a time with 0 cases with surveillance testing.

Marching bands at all levels are competing, including VSHL this spring. And unlike VSHL, no outbreaks.

It’s been a year, they have scientifically tested PPE and mitigation methods for music.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/it-safe-strike-band-time-coronavirus

https://www.nemc.com/masks-and-bell-covers/

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/coronavirus/bespoke-masks-coverings-brass-musicians/

https://www.musicarts.com/ppe


1. You can play and sing masked

2. Your instrument can be masked

3. They are are valuable as athletics

4. If FCPS can do it safely, pretty much anyone can.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you but the trouble is that the schools seem to have randomly picked things to cut out. No soccer balls at school. No in person music classes. In the UK, the schools have gone back fulltime, in person and even the lower school don't even wear masks. They had the virus much worse over there and here, my kids are in school but it's more like prison.

not blowing into wind instruments and singing is hardly random.

you just can't do these things in the middle of a pandemic with an airborne virus.

i mean duh what do people expect.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you but the trouble is that the schools seem to have randomly picked things to cut out. No soccer balls at school. No in person music classes. In the UK, the schools have gone back fulltime, in person and even the lower school don't even wear masks. They had the virus much worse over there and here, my kids are in school but it's more like prison.

The UK has also taken a different approach to vaccination, with more people getting a single dose instead of getting two doses into a smaller number of people.

Sports, music, art... these things are not a priority for in-person school. Do them at home, and stop complaining. I want five days a week, masked, focusing on academic classes. Otherwise, we are going to continue to fall behind and some of these kids may never catch up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While the complaining is a bit much why bother with this BS? Humming and tapping your feet?? Just cancel it for now and focus on the basics. They clearly can't do both at once.

My kids are not musical but for kids that are I can see how it would suck if you still can't do what you love.

This just in: Pandemics suck.

No. APS sucks. Use some creativity. It’s like pulling teeth with APS.

Anonymous wrote:While the complaining is a bit much why bother with this BS? Humming and tapping your feet?? Just cancel it for now and focus on the basics. They clearly can't do both at once.

My kids are not musical but for kids that are I can see how it would suck if you still can't do what you love.

This just in: Pandemics suck.

I agree with you but the trouble is that the schools seem to have randomly picked things to cut out. No soccer balls at school. No in person music classes. In the UK, the schools have gone back fulltime, in person and even the lower school don't even wear masks. They had the virus much worse over there and here, my kids are in school but it's more like prison.

While the complaining is a bit much why bother with this BS? Humming and tapping your feet?? Just cancel it for now and focus on the basics. They clearly can't do both at once.

My kids are not musical but for kids that are I can see how it would suck if you still can't do what you love.

It's just more APE BS and complaining.

We all knew their screaming wouldn't stop when schools opened. They'd find more to complain about.

The whining will never end.

Your kid can still practice at home every day and play with the band on the DL days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I agree but I hate when posters type the way you did in the title.

OP here. I kind of hate myself for typing that way.

The whining though... All caps seems more like yelling?

Usually but also to call attention to something easily missed.

OP: I agree with you but I also have a kid who cant/won't learn it but does all the lessons great, at home, in beat-box mode. hard to explain...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I agree but I hate when posters type the way you did in the title.

OP here. I kind of hate myself for typing that way.

The whining though... All caps seems more like yelling?

LOL. Right on.

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I agree but I hate when posters type the way you did in the title.

OP here. I kind of hate myself for typing that way.

The whining though... All caps seems more like yelling?

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I agree but I hate when posters type the way you did in the title.

+1000

I mean, I agree but I hate when posters type the way you did in the title.

Look, I am all for APS opening. (Five days a week even!) Some
Of these AEM parents just kill me though. You’re upset because school bands and choirs aren’t allowed to practice normally?! I mean, COME ON.

1. You can’t play these things masked.
2. There was a choir practice that was a known super-spreader event early in the pandemic.
3. These classes aren’t even close to being a priority!!

Open five days a week with everyone masked. Focus on core classes.

Priorities, people.