The Winter Concert is usually a large event, with dozens of students showing off their talent in the arts and as the auditorium packs with hundreds of students, teachers, and family members. 

Of course, the coronavirus changed this. Though for 2021, there was a substitute Winter Concert with some large differences. 

Ms. Kenny-Jones,  the concert band teacher, used what little materials she had to create a virtual concert. “Ultimately we decided that we would do it virtually because we were unsure of what Covid was gonna look like,” she said. “It ended up being a really good decision because we had a lot of people out with Covid the week right before the break, and luckily we had everything filmed before that, so it was good.” The concert was recorded in the classroom while students played their instruments, and then put on YouTube under the channel “CHRISTINA KENNY-JONES”.

The would-be performing students were affected by the switch to virtual concert as well. Kal Tellefsen, a senior trumpet player, said that to prepare for a virtual concert he didn’t do much differently than he would on any other day. “I really didn’t do anything differently, cause it was being recorded this time,” he said. When asked how well he thought the concert went, he responded, “It went well because it wasn’t anything too unusual for us… Playing an in-person concert might’ve been better because we would’ve practiced a little harder. We knew we wouldn’t be playing in front of people, so it influenced how we practiced.” 

When asked when the school would return to in-person concerts, Ms. Kenny-Jones responded, “When it’s safe… Playing an instrument is a high-risk activity. We’re doing everything we can to stop the spread, but it still makes it riskier… we have to be diligent and careful to make sure that we’re keeping everyone safe.” She added that she was eager to return to in-person concerts, and Kal agreed that playing in-person would be much better for the students involved. Considering how much covid has taken from the world, it’s encouraging to see things beginning to return to normal, one small step at a time.