One of the most important things that we learned that helped us get through this pandemic was that we could replicate what we did before the pandemic. Accepting this impossibility was freeing. Similarly, we need to come to accept that what was lost in the past year and a half can’t be made up next year.
It was impossible to focus on singing technique and instrumental technique over Zoom in the same way as you can in person. These students had far less time learning how to harmonize and play with their peers, and in this aspect, they will be behind students from previous years. Rising seventh-graders will start band and choir, where they would have started in sixth in previous years. The lack of singing in lower school and intermediate school will affect their vocal development.
There will be deficits that can be measured in objective ways, and likely, students will likely be performing less difficult music in the next couple of years. But that’s okay because the level of difficulty of a song has never been the measure of success for music students at my school. I understand the desire to “catch students up” create some kind of “boot camp.” Teachers want to return to “normal.” That’s not going to happen next year, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of trying to “catch students up” for perceived learning loss, there’s more meaningful that we can do.
The economic effects of the pandemic have devastated effects on music all around the world. Musicians have become unemployed, funding has been cut, and many music organizations had to shut down during this pandemic, and many will not reopen. More than ever before, music needs support in our culture, and so do our music students.
What we do for our students as educators is what we all should do for our country as citizens.
One way to help our students grow as musicians is to understand how their craft, their commitment, and how music education can be integral to revitalizing music in our school community and beyond. It is in having a purpose that reflects the needs of society that our students will find the meaning and motivation to grow as musicians. And as they build themselves, they are rebuilding what has been lost.
Music persists in a time of crisis as humanity persists. As love persists and hope persists, music persists as an essential communication tool that connects people in ways word fail. Music helps us better understand ourselves and each other. It creates the empathy that will bring us closer to each other and the beauty that inspires us to move forward through the dark times.
The in-person performance on May 20th resulted from the music faculty’s determination and music students’ commitment to music throughout the entire pandemic. This commitment to music was part of the school's commitment to democracy and the souls of our students. More than a reminder of what we have missed in the past year, the students made this event a beautiful vision of what we have to look forward to at Parker in the future.
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