While guidance for high school athletics will soon be released for the upcoming school year, the Iowa High School Music Association has already done so for band, choir, and orchestra on a preliminary basis.
Director of the IHSMA Alan Greiner says there is great concern about singing and playing musical instruments and how it spreads the virus. Preliminary results of an international study were released ahead of the typical marching band season in the fall, and Greiner says there are some initial concerns about the spread of COVID-19 through the playing of instruments, so the IHSMA has issued several precautions schools could take if they choose to move forward with competitions.
Greiner says the biggest key will be masking of students and the instruments themselves, maintaining distance betweens students, and considering the risks of live performances.