Director of HS Choral Activities - Mr.

Will Griswold
191 US-377 Argyle, TX 76262
Office Number: 940-464-7241 ext. 2019
Email Address: wgriswold@argyleisd.com
www.argylechoir.com

Argyle HS Choir COVID Strategies - Fall 2020

Daily Director/Chorister Safety Precautions
Each chorister must wear a mask BEFORE entering the Choir Room
Parent/Chorister Agreement signed Contract requiring personal PPE.
If student does not have PPE they may not enter choir room.
Each chorister must have their own supplies
This includes: binder, music, sight reading materials, pencils, water
Each chorister will have an assigned chair, mic stand, music stand, and area measured
the required distance apart (CDC guidelines)
The last 5 minutes of each class will be spent with students sanitizing their music
stand, stowing their binder and personal items.
They MUST CONTINUE TO WEAR THEIR FACE MASK DURING DISMISSAL AND
WHILE EXITING the rehearsal space
Students will use one door for entry and a separate door for exiting into the hallway
Students arriving for class will have face mask on BEFORE ENTERING.
They will wait to enter until all students have exited from the prior class period
Students must social distance in the hall before being let inside the room
Students will not crowd inside the room and talk before or after class
Students will walk directly to their assigned seats
Proper ventilation is present at all times
The use of HEPA Air Filters reduces aerosol emissions by over 40%
Air Change Rate is maxed out at 92%

General Director/Chorister Safety Precautions

Ensembles are smaller this year to accommodate the spacing required for singing
during COVID19.
Concert Choir - 34
Bella Voce - 16
Women's Chorale - 20
Men's Chorale - 13
Students will not store materials in the classroom in order to avoid crowding.
Riser formations and semi-circles will not be used. All students will sit in a row and
column formation facing the front of the room.
Full Ensemble singing will be reduced to lessen the number of aerosols being released
during rehearsal.
We will often utilize humming to learn notes and rhythms.
We will use audiation (singing in your head) more often during sight-singing.
We will do more section singing during rehearsals (only 25-35% of people singing)
We will use clapping to sight-read rhythms
To avoid touching common surfaces:
Doors will be propped open when entering and exiting
Students will fill their own water bottles. No drinking from the fountain is allowed.
Binders will be taken home each night and stored in student lockers.
Director of HS Choral Activities - Mr. Will Griswold
191 US-377 Argyle, TX 76262
Office Number: 940-464-7241 ext. 2019
Email Address: wgriswold@argyleisd.com
www.argylechoir.com

What Safety Equipment is Being Used?

Masks - are required to be worn by all students and must cover the mouth and nose
Pop Filter - a dual screen used by recording artists and radio hosts to prevent excess
air from escaping through and traveling through the air
HEPA Air Filters - HEPA, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, is a
designation used to describe filters that are able to trap 99.97 percent of particles that
are 0.3 microns.
Hand Sanitizer - will be used at the beginning and end of each class
Sanitizing Wipes - used to disinfect music stands and chairs at the end of every class

Concerts, Recitals, Events, and Gatherings

Fall “Informances” for smaller groups and their parents
Possible separate concerts with only one Choir at a time
Two concerts in one night (6PM and 8PM)
Social Distancing and Masks required for concerts in the auditorium
Outdoor events with hybrid performance opportunities
Possible venues include park at Argyle Intermediate, Harvest Neighborhood Lawn,
Football Field, or Marty B's
Outdoor social events to mitigate risk
Smaller, controlled social gatherings for student engagement
Separate social events may be planned for girls or guys
Separate social events may be planned for each Choir to limit crowds
Small meetings for parent information rather than one large meeting
May have meetings for one Choir at a time
Using a virtual platform for informational, Booster, or trip meetings
May have to resort to virtual performances for the first concert cycle of the year
Pre-recorded audio and video from rehearsal at school
Premiere the performances on Youtube Live
Record informal music videos at school for performances
Director of HS Choral Activities - Mr. Will Griswold
191 US-377 Argyle, TX 76262
Office Number: 940-464-7241 ext. 2019
Email Address: wgriswold@argyleisd.com
www.argylechoir.com

Classroom Layout
Number of Chairs - 32
In classes of less than 32, students will sit in every other chair to increase distance
Room Square Footage - 1500 sq. ft
Number of HEPA Air Filters - 2
All students will have more space than the CDC recommendation of 6 ft between them

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Piano

Exit Entrance

Mr. Griswold's Office Percussion Storage

Director of HS Choral Activities - Mr. Will Griswold
191 US-377 Argyle, TX 76262
Office Number: 940-464-7241 ext. 2019
Email Address: wgriswold@argyleisd.com
www.argylechoir.com

Adjustments to the Choir Program

Private Lessons
All private lesson will be virtual for the Fall semester
Students will enter a practice room and login to their lessons through Webex
We will reassess the ability to have in person lessons over Winter Break
We will still be going through DFW Music Academy
Students are allowed to schedule in person lessons with teachers outside of the
school day but the rate of $20 per lesson is not guaranteed
Recitals
Recitals will either be virtual or in person
We will assess the risk based on how many students are performing, how many
people will attend, and what venue we can use to perform
An outdoor venue is ideal but that can depend on weather
A large indoor venue like the auditorium could be used with a small audience and
short performance duration
Uniforms
To avoid our formal uniforms being used to transmit the virus, we will not be using
tuxedos and dresses for the foreseeable future
Jeans and Choir T-Shirts will suffice for any performances we plan
Our uniforms will be professionally cleaned as soon as possible to ensure that the
next use is safe
All-State Auditions
TMEA has moved the entire All-State process online this year and auditions will be
submitted via video
It is unknown at this time if TMEA will conduct a 2021 Convention so if a student is
selected to the All-State Choir, it is possible they will not travel to San Antonio

Resources and Links

Dr. Lee A. Reussner, Director of Kansas Voice Center:
Part 1: Singing Safely in COVID Era
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY_HueZbRNg
Part 2: Singing and Speaking Safely in the Covid Era: Singing, Spit, and Spread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM1msYMn5vA
Part 3: Considerations for Singing Together Again
https://youtu.be/mMJXpRUkg0o
You can Speak (and Sing) COVID-19
https://www.jwatch.org/na51616/2020/06/01/you-can-speak-and-sing-covid19
Journal of Voice: Safer Singing During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: What we Know and
What We Don’t Know
https://www.jvoice.org/article/S0892-1997(20)30245-9/fulltext
NFHS Round 1 Preliminary Results: Clarinet, Flute, Horn, Soprano Singer, Trumpet
https://bit.ly/33FeNc0
NFHS Round 2 Results: Oboe, Low Brass, Choir, Theater
https://www.nfhs.org/media/4030003/aerosol-study-prelim-results-round-2-
final.pdf