Imagine yourself relaxed viewing a beautiful concert. You can hear the swell of the chorus. The rush of the music washes over you. You are completely encapsulated within the music. The loud blaring of the trumpets can be heard throughout the entire audience. The sopranos reaching notes you’d never thought possible. The gentle trills of the flutes are just barely heard. The steady reliability of the altos. The slightly different hums of each of the saxophones. The tenors and basses harmonize well. The loud clang of the gong striking down into each person’s heart. You are experiencing all of this…through a screen. 

Due to Covid 19 restrictions all band/vocal state and regional contests will be held virtually through recordings. Band students are still required to dress appropriately, as if the screen isn’t there. Students will have the band room and the stage available for the recordings, after they  practice their music. The State Solo and Ensemble recordings will have a deadline of between March 22nd and April 5th to submit their video recordings. The entire choir and band must submit their song recording between April 1st and April 12th. Students will be accompanied by Mrs. Spare or another accompanist on the piano. 

When asked about how she thinks these new changes will affect the scores, sophomore Ashlynd Murrill said, “I feel like this time it will be easier to get a good score, because you can re-film your performance over and over. They may also be more strict, because you can film it.”

“I feel like more people are going to want to do a solo,” claimed sophomore Talya Mason, “Because they don’t have to stand in front of a crowd or in front of a judge in person. People will also want to do it (solos/ensembles) so that they can letter.” Lettering is a special honor given to students who go above and beyond in their extracurricular activities.

Mason also fears that the inability to see the judges faces will limit her experience and learning. 

Without the extra exposure to other styles of music, Mason asserts that this festival will not be as impactful to her as in her previous year attending. 

The lesser significance may be hard to deal with for some students. However, it may encourage new novices to try their hand at performing. The judges are predicted to be a bit harsher on the participants than former years. The ability to re-record your piece will allow students to work towards a performance they can be proud of. All in all, students believe that these changes will have both positive and negative effects.