After a year of online school, Huron band is back in person this year. Having much difficulty playing instruments over Zoom, both Huron band, and orchestra students were more than happy to be back together in the same room. 

“Being online was really stupid,” tenor saxophone player Julianne Cucos said. “It was also really stressful because we had to record ourselves and then the teacher would play it in front of the class. I like this year a lot more; it is way more relaxed. If I get stuck, it is not like the whole band is watching me play individually.”

While returning back in person made the class itself much easier for both students and instructors, students and their parents often worry about their safety against COVID-19, having to play wind instruments that involve direct contact with their nose and mouth in an open space with more than 30 people. 

In fact, one solution has been implemented since the beginning of the school year: Instrument masks. Instrument masks, often called slit masks, are cloth masks with a hole in the center or on the side of the mask, designed to allow instruments to slide in. However, this concept of “mask with a hole” brought up a big controversy among students questioning the effectiveness of the mask that is completely open for surrounding air to go through. 

“I personally think they are pointless,” Cucos said. “I guess we could say it is better than not having them at all, but I still doubt how the mask would do its job if it is not properly covered.” 

Along with the concerns about instrument masks, another problem arose throughout the school year. Following the 2021 COVID-19 educational guidelines from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, all students and staff in a music class are required to wear a full-cover face mask at all times. For students in band, they are permitted to wear a slit mask only when they are playing their instruments. However, many students at Huron do not seem to follow the policy. 

“Half the class does not even use it,” Cucos said. “Band masks are just to show that we are cautious of the virus, not that we actually care about it. I think everyone in Symphony and Green Band is vaccinated though. I think we are all boosted too.” 

Despite not having many COVID-19 cases reported from music classes this past year, the need for a stronger policy with more cautiousness towards the virus became more and more important for the safety of band members at Huron.