At Grove City College, not even a pandemic can stop the music.

The school’s marching band, concert band, orchestra and choirs are ready to start a new year, with new covid-19 guidelines in place.

The Wolverine Marching Band launched its annual band camp this week, forging ahead despite a postponed football season and widespread band festival cancellations.

During band camp, covid-19 mitigation efforts were in full effect, with students and faculty spaced for social distancing and masks required when possible. Brass and woodwind instruments donned bell covers, which serve as a barrier for moisture and germs.

Jeffrey Tedford, Department of Music chair and director of orchestras, said students have responded well to the new safety guidelines.

“They realize that we have taken the steps we need to take and I think that puts them at ease a little bit. They have appreciated that and they realize the work went in and it’s their responsibility to follow that plan,” he said.

The band is hoping to replace its traditional performances at football games, parades, and band festivals with livestreams, recordings, and impromptu outdoor concerts on campus, Andrew Erb, band director and associate professor of music, said. The band’s Facebook page will be updated with livestreams and recordings throughout the semester.

Erb said students are happy to return to their campus and their music, despite the restrictions.

“Their reactions are surprisingly upbeat,” Erb said, adding that students are excited to see each other after months apart.

Grove City’s orchestra, concert band, and choirs are similarly making new plans to perform amid this year’s unusual circumstances. They plan to host outdoor performances and smaller, socially-distanced indoor performances on campus this year, Tedford said.

During rehearsals, student musicians will be divided into smaller groups and they’ll practice outside when possible.

Every two weeks, the choir plans to put on an outdoor performance for students eating outside of the dining hall, Tedford said.

“I think it’s really important for the students to perform,” Tedford said. “It gives them a goal.”

The school provided specialized singer’s masks for choir members and students in opera and musical theater. Masks are also required for string players, percussion and piano players.

As a Grove City alumnus, Tedford said he’s dedicated to helping students create fond memories on campus this semester.

“There’s an emotional connection for me, because I remember my memories,” he said. “I want to do whatever I can to keep them safe and to help them create those memories.”

For Erb, there’s also a sense of normalcy in watching students come together as a community once again.

“Ensembles are the epitome of community. Everybody has to work together for a common goal and pull their own weight. That’s just not something you can ever recreate online,” he said. “As far as normalcy, just being able to make music in community with their friends is probably the most compelling aspect of getting somewhat back to normal. The fact that we get to create music together — regardless of those restrictions — is still great.”

Music is an important piece of students’ lives, Erb said.

“To have something like this that’s been such a big part of your life — especially the last opportunity you have to do this [for seniors] — to have that taken away is devastating. So we’re just thrilled to be able to do this, especially for our seniors,” he said.

The Department of Music is coordinating a project to preserve student work this year, Tedford said.He said they plan to record music and interviews to create “a documentary and historical record of how we handled the pandemic.”

“At the end of the season, the students will have some sort of video so they can say, ‘This is how we overcame the pandemic. We continued to play,’” Tedford said.

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