Private Music Studios in Today's Climate

The daily email blasts from professional music organizations and music teaching studio employers, regarding the pandemic, is enough to keep any instructor scratching their head.

Everyone wants to know when in-person lessons will truly be safe again. Teachers are doing their best to make informed choices with guidelines set forth by the organizations that insure them and/or, the businesses that employ them. It can be overwhelming - especially for beginning teachers. Fortunately, there are a number of private music teacher boards that have popped up during the pandemic and have been a welcome help in sorting out the guidelines and regulations. The biggest message to teachers from all of the organizations around the World is this, "Don't let business owners, students, or parents bully you." Parents are beyond stressed and businesses want people coming through their doors. You have to remember that they are under a lot of pressure, too. 

You are responsible to all of your students, their families, yourself, and your family: Keep that in mind when deciding what the best choice is for your studio size and student load.

I have put all of the information that is current to me into bullet points for my colleagues. Keep in mind that all of this can change tomorrow. Keep in mind that there are teachers who flirt with regulations and will not be following the guidelines. And, keep in mind that it is wise to do your own research to decide what is comfortable for your studio's wellness. 

Guidelines and regulations for going back to in-person lessons in a public studio (This is for a multi-room facility where you may work for another party as an employee, or on a teaching commission):

• The teacher will be in a studio large enough to accommodate two people (student and teacher), and two separate instruments, with a distance of 7 feet between the student and teacher. 
• The scheduling gap time between students, for air circulation and disinfecting of common surfaces, is now 15 minutes. You will need to re-arrange your students' lesson times if you were on a 30 minute block schedule.
• In the case of smaller instruments, teachers may alternate between two studios to avoid the 15 minute gap. When doing this, the studio that is empty needs to remain empty with the door open for circulation. 
• Each studio room should have a filtration or air flow system out of the room.
• The choice to wear, or not wear, a mask is under the supervision of the local government: Where there is no local government mandate, the business owner, and the private instructor, will set the guideline. 
• The choice to request proof of vaccination for students 12 years of age and older is at the discretion of the public business owner and/or the instructor. Students younger than 12 years of age may be asked to present a negative covid test before each lesson.
• Wind, Brass, and Voice instruments are heavily cautioned. Voice is completely restricted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the American Choral Directors Society. Wind and Brass may continue with full instrument coverage and plexiglas separation between teacher and student. Again keeping the 7 feet separation.
• No other siblings, students, or guardians should be in the room. The space is limited to two persons.
• If a student becomes ill and tests positive within two days following a lesson, all students with following lesson times on that same day need to be contacted for testing and possible quarantine. Individuals can spread the infection up to two days before showing symptoms. The teacher will need to be tested and quarantine. (This may be problematic if the parent does not consider contacting the business or the instructor.)

Single, In Home, Teaching Studios:

All of the Comments and Guidelines for public studios apply.

• Only the student should enter the home of the instructor. Siblings and parents/guardians are expected to wait outside, or in their vehicle.
• Students are not allowed early entry. Instruct parents to park and wait with their child in their vehicle if they arrive early. (Texting the student when you are prepared for them is recommended.)
• If the student appears ill or feverish they must not be admitted. Teachers  may need to meet students outside to assess each student before bringing the student inside. (For homes with a covered porch, a waiting area can be set up outside of the home on the porch.)
• When a student's time is complete the student leaves the instructor's residence and waits outside for their parent/guardian to pick them up. 
• The instructor will schedule a 15 minute block between students to clean common surfaces and air out the studio room. 
• In transferring back to in person sessions it will become evident that there is less time for in person lessons than online lessons. Most 30 minute in-person lessons average 20 minutes of work. The remaining time is used for removing shoes and jackets, arranging books and supplies, washing hands, using the restroom, settling in, etc.  
• You will need to close the student's lesson up to 5 minutes earlier to allow them to gather their belongings, put on shoes or jackets, etc., for timely exit so preparations can be made for the next student.
• Remind parents to have their children use the restroom before arriving at your home studio to avoid extra time in disinfecting the restroom between students.
• Payments should be taken through electronic means. Encourage parents to speak with you through emails or texts to allow for as much lesson time as possible for their child.  

Private music teachers in the U.S. appear to be the most unsure of the regulations that guide their profession at this time. Private music teachers from other countries are showing a more clear and more unified understanding of what their countries have directed. (This may also be due to the fact that other countries have heavier licensing and education requirements for private music teachers than the U.S.)

Everyone's decision process will be different. I am online to stay for a few reasons; 

• I have had at least one student every month who has been exposed or has been ill. (If I had been teaching in-person I would have had to go through a number of quarantines myself and all of my local  students would have been exposed.) 
• I have students that live too far outside of the area for in-person lessons. 
• Expanding 30-6o minute blocks to teaching blocks with an additional 15 minute "clearing block", just won't work for many of my students who already have to shuffle times between extra curricular activities. 

Having said why I am staying online, and knowing that I will always have online students, I still really miss seeing my younger students in person. Like most of you, I keep watching the information that is coming out from specialists that our professional organizations consult, every day. And I know that tomorrow everything can change again. 

                                                        *  *  *

Stay centered and keep in touch. I would be interested in knowing if you have; discontinued teaching and are considering returning at a later time, are staying online, or have found a safe way to return to in person teaching. Send your comments and questions to: LowCountryStudios@yahoo.com.

Here is more info from Guitar Center and Music & Arts:

At the Guitar Center Company, we are learning and doing our part together to protect our Associates, customers, and communities from the spread of COVID-19.

 

If you have felt scared, angry, overwhelmed, confused, or all of the above as a result of the virus, you are not alone. Your health and safety are our top priority, and we want to equip you with tools and resources to help keep you informed.

 

How Do Viruses Spread Between People?

 

Viruses rely on living things to survive, and their goal is to spread. While they can live a very brief time on surfaces without living cells, they will die quickly if they do not have a live host to latch onto.

 

Imagine a house guest that comes over uninvited, never leaves, dirties up your house, and gets really comfy on your clean furniture. That is what the virus does to your cells.

Once a virus is in a host cell, its mission is to reproduce as much as possible until the living host’s immune system kicks in and stops it. When you are sick, your body goes through a cycle of symptoms that get progressively worse before (hopefully) getting better. That is because when a virus invades, it easily spreads, causing anything from minor colds to serious diseases. When finally stopped, it—along with its copies—packs its bags and moves to attack another unsuspecting host.

 

Viruses travel from one live host cell to another through infectious droplets (from sneezing, coughing, or talking) on surfaces or in the air. When someone encounters the droplets, they can get infected. If that happens, the virus can easily pass from one person to the next through close proximity or being indoors with other people.

 

After the first sign of symptoms, viruses can be contagious for up to two weeks. They can also start to spread before people realize they are sick. For those who are asymptomatic, they never develop any symptoms of illness and are often unaware that they are carrying a contagious virus. And, for those with weakened immune systems, they can spread viruses for even longer because they may not have the capacity to fight the virus in the same way as someone with a stronger immune system.

What is a Variant?

 

Delta or Lambda – what does it mean? There are times during virus reproduction when the copy made is not a perfect replicate. This is normal and expected virus behavior. What happens, though, is that the virus changes and then proceeds to make additional copies of this now “new” virus. The changed virus is what is referred to as a variant, and in the case of the Delta variant, it is more infectious than other coronavirus strains, spreading faster with the potential for differing symptoms.

 

6 Ways to Protect Your Loved Ones from Viruses

 

Viruses can be devastating for communities, and deadly. It is up to us to do what we can to protect those around us and prevent viruses from creating a destructive, domino effect or outbreak, as in the case of COVID-19.

 

Here are a few measures that each of us can start or continue doing:

 

1. Get vaccinated – Get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect you and others.
2. Wash your hands – Throughout the day, frequently wash your hands with soap and water – 20 seconds is the magic number. If soap and water is not available, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is the next best option.
3. Don’t touch your face – Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, especially with unwashed hands or after touching surfaces.
4. Clean and disinfect – Using a disinfectant, clean high traffic surfaces such as countertops, doorknobs, tables or desks, faucets, handles, etc.
5. Keep a distance – Maintain social distancing while in public and avoid close contact with those who are sick.
6. Wear a mask – It is the easiest thing we can do to ensure that our communities are safe.

Why Are Vaccines Important?

 

In a vaccinated community, a virus has little to no chance of survival. Vaccines have played a significant role in eliminating deadly and highly contagious viral infections, such as measles and polio. They not only stop them from spreading but can prevent the replication that causes variants. When you get vaccinated, you are protecting yourself, your family, and everyone else.

*Not everyone can be vaccinated, age, and medical history, may prohibit vaccination. If you are well and can vaccinate but still have questions, talk with your physician about your concerns.