Right now, Iowa’s best high school singers and musicians are supposed to be at Hilton Coliseum for All-State. A month ago they found out they would not be. The All-State honor was bestowed as if they would have performed, including to three students from South Tama, but there will be no concert. There will be no honor bands for other students, either.
Last weekend was supposed to be the Cedar Rapids Festival of Trees. I am supposed to be a month in on trying to fly through my winter’s bane, “Sleigh Ride”. I am not. My band should be preparing for performances at multiple nursing homes. One of them has been drowning in coronavirus cases.
I fear for the long-term damage this effective ban on group music will do to the arts, not just concert bands but church choirs and school musicals and community theatre. You can’t Zoom your way through “South Pacific.”
(P.S. Traer’s ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service has been called off.)