Q&A with Janay Bird - St. Vrain Valley School District

The Longmont Symphony has postponed our annual 5th-Grade concert for two consecutive years, which reaches approximately 2,600 5th-grade students in the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD). Our performance is the first exposure to live symphonic music for many of these students. I take tremendous joy in these performances, often wondering how these concerts will impact a young person's involvement with music in their life. 

To dig a bit deeper into how public school music education is faring during this challenging time, I reached out to the Fine Arts Coordinator at the SVVSD, Janay Bird.

Elliot Moore: Thank you for speaking with me about this vital subject. How has the enrollment of students in band, orchestra, and choir been throughout the pandemic? 

Janay Bird: After the slight dip that we saw in our district last year, we are proud to be making live music again and giving students the best opportunities they can have. We are almost back to pre-pandemic levels of enrollment! We accomplished this mainly through excellent recruitment. One example of our creative recruitment comes from a high school choir writing to the middle school choir students expressing their desire for the middle schoolers to join their choir. Many of the elementary music teachers were able to inspire their 5th-graders by telling them about the experiences they would have if they went into music in the 6th-grade. 

The other critical element was that we had terrific administrators and counselors who understood the importance of the arts in the lives of these young people. They went out of their way to communicate to parents and students that registering for music electives was still a great choice despite the constraints imposed by the pandemic.

EM: Are parents of students expressing any concerns to you regarding the spreading of aerosols through the practice and performance of the musical arts? 

JB: Certainly, concerns have been expressed! However, Boulder County Health was great with the aerosol spray guidelines and Performing Arts Aerosol Study - a national study that included CU Boulder. Communicating the recommendations of these fact-driven, scientific studies helped ease the minds of concerned parents and has helped us continue our rehearsing and performing. 

EM: Were students able to keep their interest in the musical arts during the height of distance learning? I heard accounts of some students dropping their orchestra electives. 

JB: Some teachers thrived on building an online musical community with their students, while others found this much more challenging. Yes, some students dropped their music electives during distance learning, but many have come back.

EM: How is the morale of the teachers in your district? 

JB: I think that the morale of the teachers mirrors that of our society at large; At times, it is up, and at other times it is ebbing. Keep in mind that teachers are modeling how to navigate this challenging time healthily in front of students. They feel this responsibility. 

EM: What do public school music educators need most at this time? 

JB: The biggest thing is kindness and encouragement. Going out of your way to say you are grateful and appreciate what they are doing for your student keeps the teachers going. Another piece of this is: How can parents show their children that the arts matter? Maybe your local orchestra is still doing virtual concerts — is it as awesome to watch it on your computer? No. But showing them that it is still essential to support those musicians and watch it as a family can go a long way. If your school is doing singing valentines as a fundraiser, go out of your way and buy one. Supporting in this way helps keep the momentum of these programs going, and it speaks volumes to your children about the importance of the arts. 

EM: How can we support our young musicians during this time? 

JB: It is crucial for the adults in the industry to be modeling what it looks like to support each other. The more that we can support each other and speak positively about other ensembles, groups, teachers — that will pay dividends to our younger musicians who need to know what it looks like to support each other as they keep moving forward.