Contest Season 2021

Concert Contest in Oklahoma is going to look a lot different this spring. Schools are scrambling to figure out if/how they will be able to make contest work. What follows are some observations gathered from visiting with my directors:

• The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association is planning to go ahead with District and State level concert contests. Initially, the small schools had no state contest, but later this was changed and a site now exists for them in Elk City. Schools will continue to play off their required lists. One minute will be added to the sight-reading study period.
• Directors who are still virtual are obviously not planning to participate.
• One virtual school district, hoping that students will return to class at some point, is planning to host a festival at their school for their students later in April.
• Of my schools that are in session 5 days a week, most are planning to participate. One group of schools is not. Their rationale is this: throughout the year, students have been pulled from classes at a moment's notice to be quarantined due to contract tracing. Since this band has to pay for charter busses to travel to contests, the director feels it is too risky to pay the money for transportation knowing that they could lose critical players at the last minute, and not be able to compete.
• Most of my schools are on an A/B block. Middle school directors are split on whether or not to attend. One director is concerned about finding time and a suitable location to bring all the students together to rehearse as a full ensemble. Can a middle school band present a reasonable performance after rehearsing together only one or two times?
• One high school director has already built in one Saturday per month to get all the kids together. These rehearsals will take place in the gym, with proper social distancing. More of these rehearsals will be added as contest grows near.
• A large high school with A/B scheduling is planning to enter two separate bands--the Monday/Tuesday band and the Thursday/Friday band.

So, what about the contest themselves? What will they look like?

• As of this writing, OSSAA has not yet mandated any particular guidelines regarding social distancing, bell covers/bags, number of schools/students in the building, spectators, and other concerns. This may take place at a later time.
• One private school which has not been using bell covers, are concerned that they are going to have to come up with the money to purchase bell covers so they can participate.
• I've had several conversations with directors who are hosting. They are coming up with a variety of issues/solutions. One host measured off their auditorium for correct social distancing, and determined that an ensemble can have no more than 45 students on the stage. A band larger than this may have to find a different site.
• It appears that at State Orchestra Contest, there will be no full orchestras because of the large number of students.
• One host site has (at least temporarily) lost the use of the auditorium lobby. It is currently being used for COVID testing and quarantine. The event could still take place without use of the lobby, but no spectators would be allowed.
• I have one school with a nice size stage and a very large band room. The director is considering the idea of having a band warm up, play their concert program and sight-read all in a single location. The judges would rotate between the stage and the band room. This would keep students from coming into contact with students from other schools.

It's pretty obvious that directors have far more questions and concerns than solutions. But if we learned anything from first semester, it's that directors are resourceful people (and sometimes remorseful people). We figured out how to do ZOOM teaching, marching band, and winter concerts. I have no doubt we can figure this out as well. Let's just hope this is a one-year problem.

Charles Bartrug retired after 33 years as an Oklahoma public school band director. The last thirteen years were spent as High School Band Director and Coordinator of Instrumental Music in Yukon, OK. Before coming to Yukon, Mr. Bartrug was band director at Midwest City HS, Guthrie HS, Owasso JH, and Collinsville JH. Bands under Charlie's direction have earned twenty-one OSSAA Sweepstakes Awards and three Double Sweepstakes Awards. The Guthrie HS Symphonic Band performed as an honor group for the OMEA Convention in 1999, and the Yukon HS Wind Ensemble performed in 2014. Mr. Bartrug is a 2014 inductee into the Oklahoma Bandmasters Hall of Fame. He earned National Board Certification in 2004, was the 2005 Oklahoma Bandmasters Association Band Director of the Year, the 2005 Yukon HS Teacher of the Year, and a 2009 OMEA Exemplary Teacher. Charlie served as the OMEA Band Vice-President, and has presented clinics at the OMEA and OBA Conventions. He was twice named the ASBDA Stanbury Award winner for outstanding young band director at the State and Region level, and was twice named Guthrie HS Teacher of the Year. The highlight of Charlie's career was teaching band alongside his wife Nancy for 26 years. Charlie now serves as store manager for the Oklahoma City location of Palen Music Center, where he enjoys serving the school band and orchestra community. Charlie was named MVP of Palen Music Center in 2017.