Against All Odds

2020 A.D.  Teaching music virtually.  COVID19.  Teaching music face-to-face.  Posting lessons on Canvas for students at home.  Needing rehearsal space.  Challenges beyond measure.  High points.  Low points.  Teacher tired.  Unresolved Presidential Election.  Israeli peace deals with Arab nations.  Graduations, weddings, engagements.  Sickness.  Quarantines.  Health.  

It has been a year, and it isn't over yet.  A country divided.  A country whose very foundations are being shaken.  A country desperately in need of healing.  A country desperately in need of God's mercy.

In the midst of this madness, I was given the task of producing a Christmas musical this year.  There is nothing unusual about this request, except that we are currently living in a global pandemic.  In my wildest dreams, I never imagined it would happen.  Not "live," anyway.

My journey began in March, while quarantined during the first wave of the SARS2-19 Corona Virus Global Pandemic.  I am living in a season of "history in the making."  The Spanish Flu of 1918 was the last global pandemic, just over a century ago, and we have come full circle.  This is the chronicle of my journey to the manger this year.

• February, 2020.  Pre-COVID.  I select a Christmas musical entitled, "Straight Outta Bethlehem."
• Mid-March, 2020.  Quarantined.  Teaching from my garage at home.  Uploading instructional videos daily.
• Request to begin typing up lyric booklets for the musical while at home.  Not sure if we will return to school at this point.  (We did not return until August)
• June, 2020.  Music educators are scrambling because we teach in an ensemble setting.  I attend a 3-day webinar on teaching music digitally using Quaver Music Ed as our platform.
• June, 2020.  Results from the Arts Aerosol study (U. of Colorado/Boulder) are presented to arts instructors worldwide.  "Singing in German and playing the flute/piccolo" spread the most aerosols in an enclosed space.  Adequate ventilation required.  Masks required.  No more than 30-minute rehearsals recommended.  Singing outdoors highly preferred.
• July, 2020.  Meeting with administration to discuss what my school year will look like.  Should I teach digitally? Should I proceed with caution and try to produce the Christmas musical? The response was to produce the musical, knowing it may be pulled in November if we are in a second wave of the virus.
• August, 2020.  I begin teaching the music for "Straight Outta Bethlehem" on August 17.
• September, 2020.  I audition for the lead roles in the cast on September 12. (Cast of 18)
• After school rehearsals begin on Tuesday, September 15th. We rehearse weekly until Thanksgiving break.
• October, 2020.  Technical meeting with church staff.  Decision is made to "live" stream the performance due to audience restrictions (limited number of people, socially distanced in auditorium, masks must be worn)
• October 17 - Super Saturday Rehearsal #1.  All is well.
• November 21 - Super Saturday Rehearsal #2.  All is not well.  One of my leads is quarantined and cannot return to school for the next 14 days (which is after the show).  I pull a stable animal and ask her to learn the part.  
• November 30 - Tech Week 2020 begins.  During this week, there are 5 programs that must be rehearsed and performed.  Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd grade and the 3rd-5th grade musical.  I conduct three of the five.
• All five programs are presented before a "live" audience and to a streamed audience.  

The message of this musical is a simple presentation of the Gospel. "There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God" is a lyric from one of the songs in the program.  If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are grafted into the family of God.  Satan tried everything in his power to prevent this message from being shared, but because of the live-stream, it was shared coast-to-coast.  God used these kids to make a difference in the lives of others this year and to present the Gospel message to anyone who would listen.  It was exhausting, especially the "not knowing."  Trying to make it work and against all odds, we pulled it off, with God's help.  And you know what? I would do it again.  And again.  And again.

2nd Grade - "A Shepherd's Story"

Pastor Joby Martin of the Church of Eleven22

doing a devotional with my kids prior to our final rehearsal

Cast and Choir of "Straight Outta Bethlehem"

"Live Stream" -  grandparents were so grateful

Until next time...

Teaching Music During a Pandemic

As I scan previous posts, I realize I haven't visited my blog since August 3, 2019.  It is now November 29, 2020.  My life is so full and I haven't had much time to update my readers or post newsworthy items to share with others.  For this, I am truly sorry.

Life changed when my mom passed away.  She was my biggest fan, strongest supporter, best audience member - she was the best! My audience at my programs will forever have a gaping hole in it.  My sister has done her best to fill it, but it is not the same.  I try to wear something of my mother's when I perform - whether I am singing with Voices of Jacksonville or conducting programs at school.  It has been a hard transition for me and I am still a "work in progress."

Teaching during a pandemic (COVID19) has been an incredible challenge for me.  I am a music teacher.  I do my best work in an ensemble setting.  Social distancing, mask-wearing, contactless interactions, etc. have been the bane of my existence since March.  Eight months of uncertainty, not really knowing if my programs would happen this Christmas season.  My administration has been in the trenches trying to make this work while keeping everyone safe and healthy.  My principal, DeShuan Mills, is an extraordinary human who supports me unequivocally.  This Thanksgiving holiday has been the most stressful "restful" week for both of us. E-mails, phone calls, text messages abound.  Communication is key in a pandemic.  Circumstances are fluid and changing by the hour.

I am pleased to report that we have successfully navigated quarantining of key members of our production team, last minute role changes with leads in the musical, numerous iterations of the program brochure, "to print or not to print," masks or no masks during the production, "live" audience or "live" stream the program, etc.  Our questions and concerns have been many.  We are working with medical personnel to keep faculty and staff safe while doing our best to maintain a high-quality performance.  Tech Week 2020 begins tomorrow and we will be ready!

Our team is amazing! 170 voice choir! 17 member cast! The musical will have a live audience (only 4 guests per student so that we can physically distance one family unit from another family unit), it will also be streamed on our website for those who cannot make it to the live performance, masks will be worn by the choir onstage, sets, props, lights, cameras - what an incredible opportunity for my students!

Teaching in a pandemic has been the most challenging hurdle of my career, but I know God's grace will see us through next week and this program will lift spirits, spread joy and bless others.  For this, I am extremely grateful.

Until next time...