Researchers: Katlyn Redding & Kristen Myers
As music educators in rural Saskatchewan, we noticed the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on band programs. Since band instruction is typically almost exclusively delivered through the playing of wind instruments in a group setting, which became a high-risk activity in the context of COVID-19, band teachers were forced to rethink and redesign their instructional practices to meet curriculum outcomes in different ways. We collaborated with band teacher colleagues to reflect on and tell the stories of the change from traditional wind instrument-based instruction to alternative practices in Grade 6-12 band programs based on the following research questions:
How have band teachers continued to engage students in music making throughout the pandemic?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed band teachers’ learning goals for students and their definitions of student success in music education?
What new instructional and assessment practices will band teachers retain once COVID-19 is no longer a threat, and why?
How have band teachers’ definitions of successful music programs changed because of the pandemic? Why?