Throughout the 1st quarter, students enrolled in Band and Orchestra classes have worked to adapt their rehearsal process to fit the requirements of the current COVID-19 pandemic. One of the difficulties of this year is that students are split into many smaller sections and are never able to rehearse as one large ensemble. Additionally, any in-person concerts have been postponed indefinitely. Therefore, in order to make music as a full ensemble, students work to record their individual parts at their own homes. This also enables students who are fully remote to participate in the music-making process. All students record their parts to an accompanying click track and send them to Mr. Blumenthal. He is then able to combine all of them using audio editing software to create a final product that still embodies the sound of the full band and/or orchestra.

According to Mr. Blumenthal, “The JD High School’s Alma Mater was the first project completed this school year. Since it is a short, fairly simple tune, it provided a nice opportunity to learn the recording process while demonstrating school spirit!”

Click the text link to listen. Click the button to download.