While not many, one of the bright spots in 2020 is the new Berea-Midpark High School. With COVID putting a damper on the school’s actual opening, the building nonetheless welcomed students, masked and properly distanced, earlier this fall.
Even though classes were underway, parts of the building were still under construction, including the music wing, the band room and the auditorium. This was all part of the plan.
Last week we were given a sneak peek at the new band room and the surrounding areas including the new auditorium, or in today’s terms, The Performing Arts Center. Like the rest of this new high school, the band room is magnificent.
Meanwhile band class is being held in the auxiliary gym where COVID safety measures are followed, especially when it comes to blowing into an instrument indoors.
Your student may have told you that they needed a bucket from a home improvement or sporting goods store. Wind instruments, especially brass, create aerosals as the student blows into the instrument. When the band is outdoors, these aerosals dissipate rapidly. Indoors is a bit more of a challenge so limits were placed on the wind instruments and the buckets were brought in. Not only are students challenged to keep the beat by banging on the buckets, they are also shown how to enhance the rhythm and change the sound by using various parts of the bucket. Ultimately, the buckets teach timing which can be applied to all instruments to help improve performance and, you can keep your mask on while “playing” the bucket.
So, here’s a look at the new band room and the music wing which are slated to open in the next month or so. We’ll also give you a look inside the Performing Arts Center (Auditorium) with some special bucket infused background music.
Enjoy.