FHS marching band wraps up season

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield High School marching band wrapped up its season with its final performance of the fall at halftime of Friday's homecoming football game against Keokuk.

Spectators noticed the band did things a little differently this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The band normally congregates on the north side of the home bleachers, but this football season they moved to bleachers just beyond the south endzone to separate themselves from the rest of the crowd, and give spectators more room to socially distance.

What spectators didn't see during these football games was how hard the students and band director Jim Edgeton worked just to hold a rehearsal. The band couldn't practice as a group in the band room because it wasn't safe to pack so many kids into one room.

Instead, the band room was rearranged to accommodate small groups of three to five students at a time. Edgeton had to take kids out of class for 20 minutes once a week to work on their music, since the school's new block schedule did not have a time set aside for band.

Under the block schedule, instead of having eight periods of 44 minutes in length, the high school had two classes of 155 minutes each, plus an hour at the end of the day for 'flex time,” occupied by advance placement classes, for instance.

The marching band met outside during flex time to rehearse its lineup of pieces and marching formations, which also had to be changed this year.

Edgeton said all marching drills were written to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between all performers. The school purchased masks for students to wear, and the activities office purchased gaiters for all students in extra-curricular activities, including band. The students had to take their masks off to play their instruments, but they were instructed to wear them whenever they weren't playing.

The Band Aids booster organization has purchased a special kind of band-friendly mask that students can wear even while they're playing because it fits over top their mouthpiece. The band also purchased bell covers to filter the air coming out of the instruments.

Nearly all marching band competitions were canceled this year, including the one Fairfield normally attends in Davis County. The marching band would normally perform during the Kiwanis Kids' Day parade in September, but that was canceled, too.

Will the students actually get a chance to use their new masks and bell covers? Yes, because even though marching band season is done, the band is planning a concert in the gymnasium where the students can spread out. The concert will not admit an in-person audience, but will be recorded and livestreamed on the internet.

The future is uncertain for the band's winter and spring activities such as All-State band, pep bands for basketball games, Chocolate Sunday in December, Honor Band, the Dinner Show, Large Group contest and solo and ensemble competitions. Edgeton said no decision has been made on if or how those events will take place.

Edgeton said the inability to meet as a large group poses a hurdle for the band, but one he and the students intend to clear.

'The single voice of a musical instrument is to be combined with other musical instruments to make the full and colorful sound of a band,” he said. 'That, along with the social aspect of band, where students want to gather and play music together and be around each other, has made it challenging to provide the meaningful band experience to the students this year.”

Edgeton said he is trying to keep the process of making music educational and fun. He hopes the lesson format, and the extra rehearsals during flex time, will be enough to keep the students interested in the band program and making music together.