Ryan O’Connell, a sophomore trumpet player at the New England Conservatory, covers the ends of his instruments with sheer nylon fabric. He said the covers that the conservatory initially gave him made his trumpet sound dull, so he was forced to improvise. O’Connell went to T.J.Maxx and picked up a bunch of disposable nylon socks that are used to try on shoes to use as covers instead.
Teaching and Learning Music During a Pandemic
How music students and professors are adapting to an unprecedented situation
By Kelly Chan, Marisa Goolgasian, Charlise Koch, and Chris Triunfo
When the COVID-19 pandemic showed no sign of dissipating before the start of the fall semester, colleges across the United States adjusted. Mask requirements, social distancing, regular testing and remote classes became routine aspects of the college experience. But for those who study and teach music, this adjustment has been significantly more difficult. Here in Boston, professors at Northeastern University are coming up with innovative teaching strategies to keep their music classes going. Next door at the New England Conservatory, ensemble groups meet under strict guidelines, ranging from proof of testing to the covering of instruments. At Berklee College of Music, students are completely remote but still find ways to practice and perform with their bandmates, despite the distance between them. Even in a pandemic, students and professors alike have overcome these obstacles and proven that music will prevail.
Maya Lucia, a fifth year communication, media and screen studies major at Northeastern, has spent most of quarantine adjusting her approach to performing with her band. “Staying creatively motivated has been a challenge during the pandemic,” she said. “During live shows I jump around a lot and float around the stage dancing with my band but now I’m just in my bedroom or a basement so it’s a little weird.” Anna Gurl sits in Music Fundamentals class in Northeastern’s Ryder Hall as one of four students in the classroom. She watches as De Ritis draws music notes on a digital music sheet live on Zoom and breaks down each element of a song. While he describes the rhythm and tempo of this piece, Gurl also writes down piano notes and keys in her personal book of blank music sheets. Northeastern University Professor Anthony De Ritis is teaching Music Fundamentals and Intro to Music Composition through the school’s NUFlex hybrid teaching method. He uses his iPhone camera to project an aerial view of his piano onto Zoom for all his students to see, with only a handful present in the physical classroom. Playing a variety of jazz standards, De Ritis teaches the fundamentals of music and composition, while his students take note of the rhythm, notes and beat. Felicia Cabral, a vocal major at Northeastern, performs from her room via Facebook Live. Known by her stage name, “Eph See”, she has turned to new, innovative ways to engage with an audience during a time of social and physical isolation. “The hardest part about this pandemic has been the loss of sharing my art the way I used to,” she said. On Gainsborough Street, practice room windows fully coat a whole side of the Student Life & Performance Center at the New England Conservatory. With many of the windows open, pedestrians can listen to a variety of jazz music as students practice their instruments daily.A sophomore ensemble group hosts their nightly practice at the New England Conservatory. Hyo Jin Park (flute), Teng Cao (piano) and Ryan O’Connell (trumpet) ran through their 15-minute piece in preparation for their livestream performance the following week. Hyo Jin Park is a sophomore flutist at the New England Conservatory. She has to stay on campus for the spring semester, or else her visa will be void as an international student from Seoul, South Korea.Guitarist Jacob Jones, a senior at Berklee College of Music, rehearses with his bandmates from his apartment via Facebook Live. As Berklee is completely online this semester, many of Jones’ bandmates have left Boston, and there are no spaces available for him to rehearse with those who remain.One of the many signs that decorate the exterior of the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall declares, “Music Prevails.” NEC is one of the few music institutions in the Northeast that has decided to continue in-person programs.
