Music may make the world go round, but it is safety guidelines that are keeping lessons moving right now. As we all know by now, coronavirus spreads between people through droplets containing the virus. Out on the street that often means breathing in someone else's sneeze or touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes or mouth.
But as we also know, classrooms present their own risks, and music lessons in particular offer unique hurdles. In response, some schools have reportedly set up laptops in practice rooms so that pupils can attend virtual lessons during the school day, even though there is plenty of advice to allow in-person lessons to happen. While these precautions raise unfamiliar challenges, with some creative planning, pupils can continue their musical education without missing a beat.
So, here is our advice to help you hit the right note in balancing safety with ensuring pupils receive their valuable music education:
Studying science
The ISM has produced an ongoing series of reports compiling the conclusions of scientific investigations around the world into one easy-to-read Global Literature Review (ism.org/reports). These reports include information about safety requirements, alternative curriculum models, instrument hygiene and teacher wellbeing.
But this is an emerging area of science and not every question has been answered. Unfortunately, there is no clear conclusion yet about the role of children in transmitting coronavirus, but the report shared the following three findings:
- Physical distancing alone is unlikely to be enough to reduce the risks of transmission.
- Singing activities must limit volume (in both singing and speaking), number of pupils, and the duration of the lesson while ensuring the classroom is ventilated.
- Face coverings are advised for movement in corridors and in communal areas as well as during rehearsals when possible.
Lessons for the classroom
At the time of writing, the DfE has provided detailed guidance for safe music teaching in schools in England, with the situation less clear in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Teachers must observe social distancing, monitor ventilation and adhere to hygiene measures, but these can be confusing to interpret.
The way in which government guidance was shared and the timings of its publication wrought havoc on planning within schools. Finding ventilated rooms with enough space to allow two metres for face-to-face activities without mitigation has created huge pressure. As a result, we are seeing a divide emerge between teachers able to return to specialist classrooms and equipment, and those forced to move frequently between different rooms and adapt accordingly. However, peripatetic music teachers can be reassured that the guidance allows them to move between schools.
But not all restrictions in the classroom need to be so restrictive. Remember VAVA:
Volume: Singers should sing quietly or use microphones if possible.
Arrangement: Pupils should play and sing in a back-to-back or side-by-side layout with screens between people if possible.
Ventilation: Opening windows, ventilating between groups and other similar measures are some of the easiest and most impactful measures.
Airflow: Instrument players should be positioned so their air does not blow into each other.
Finally, when it comes to instruments and other equipment, teachers should borrow from the Rolling Stones and adopt a Sticky Fingers approach. That means increased handwashing before and after handling anything, limiting how many people handle each item and regularly disinfecting all shared items. Finally, pupils should clean their own instruments if possible. By the end, your room will smell like disinfectant and everyone's hands will be sore, but at least you know you've taken the best precautions.
Let the music play
As Martin Fautley, professor of education in the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University, has said in support of the #CanDoMusic campaign:
‘Music education is, in many ways, in the eye of the storm.’
That is because music is a vitally important subject, but one that is more vulnerable than others to changing government guidance, the shifting priorities of school leaders and the concerns of anxious parents. The answer here is not to shield the subject and hide it away, but to implement the safety processes that will help it not just survive, but in fact thrive.
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Visit the ISM's COVID-19 advice hub for more guidance on managing risk, including a sample risk assessment for ISM members: ism.org/covid-19
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Discover practical, free resources to help classroom and peripatetic music teachers during COVID-19: candomusic.org
