Students don masks to perform holiday classics safely, beautifully
Zach Miners photo
Pianist Paula Flynn (from left) accompanies Glenrock High School choir members Weylon Mitchell, James Huck, Gavin Thornock, Richard Black and Charlie Schowengerdt during the district’s holiday concert at Glenrock Intermediate School on Dec. 2. Singers and band members alike wore masks throughout their performances.
By Zach Miners
Glenrock’s student singers and band members took to the stage at Glenrock Intermediate School Dec. 2, for a unique holiday concert adapted for the COVID-19 era.
Staff and students took notable precautions to prevent community spread of the coronavirus, which in recent months has ravaged Converse County and Wyoming in general.
The vast majority of students, including members of the band, wore masks throughout the entirety of their performances. Attendance was capped at 100 for the 400-person theater.
And, audience members were required to be masked and were asked to leave the auditorium during intermission, so school district staff, including Glenrock Jr./Sr.High School Principal Mark Fritz, could sanitize the room.
The concert opened with a performance by the 7th and 8th grade choir of the Christmas carol What Child Is This? followed by a two-part harmony of Frosty the Snowman.
The 7th and 8th grade band, high school choir and high school band also performed various holiday songs, all led by Band and Choir Director Bonnie Wehr.
The concert went very well, she said.
“It is important for the students to get to perform as they would normally because it makes them feel like all their hard work has paid off,” she said.
The singers and band members alike wore masks to prevent any increased spread of aerosol from their bodies.
The students also wore different types of masks, depending on whether they were in the band or the choir.
Band members’ masks had an overlapping flap that allowed the mouthpiece to reach students’ lips.
Band students also had bell covers, which is a piece of fabric placed over the end of their instruments to reduce the amount of aerosol released.
Singers wore masks made of a breathable material with several layers, allowing them to still get the quality of air needed to sing, Wehr said.
Students have been wearing masks and practicing and rehearsing with them since early in the school year.
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Glenrock Independent
Physical Address:506 W. Birch, Glenrock, WY 82637 Mailing Address: PO Box 109, Douglas, WY 82633 Phone: (307) 436-2211
The Glenrock Independent is located in the Bronco Building
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday - 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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