Everyone has felt the impact of COVID-19, and Reedy Choir has not been an exception. With social distancing protocols, masks, and other safety procedures to ensure everyone stays healthy, hard adjustments have had to be made. 

 “Almost everything about choir has changed,” choir member Anahita Puri said. “Since we are in a half-virtual/ half in-person class, sometimes it becomes harder to learn music “[Even though I’m] virtual, I love how Mr. Rob tries to include all of us in the practices for UIL, but sometimes there are instances he can’t control. “ 

The social distancing protocol in a choir is different from other activities because you have to be able to sing together as a group. 

“We always have our masks on and even have specialized choir masks that have more space inside so the sound echoes,” choir member Elena Salas said. “After rehearsal, we all sanitize our seats and stand down as well.” 

Virtual students have a different experience in choir during this pandemic.

“When we are practicing, sometimes us virtual students cannot hear properly and it’s harder for us to recognize the pitch and know if we’re actually singing the pieces right or not,” Puri said

 “We always have masks on and all of our chairs are spaced out 6 feet apart from one another, and after rehearsal, we each sanitize down our own chairs,” Salas said.

Choir relies on sound and listening for voices to come together and the pandemic has really affected that.

 “As a choir, we rely on all of our sound to come together to produce a beautiful tune,” choir member Ariha Kampani said. “However, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we are required to sit far apart and it can definitely be challenging as it is very different compared to how we have been doing choir in the past.” 

During the pandemic, choir concerts are not possible.

“We haven’t had any concerts whatsoever, and I feel like that is the thing that brings a lot of the choir students together into a close family, as well as not being able to try out for any choirs last year,” Salas said.  “Half of our students are virtual so the choir feels kind of split as well, but Mr. Rob makes a tremendous effort to include everyone in the choir family.”