Return to In-Person Singing Lessons
​

As most studio families know, I play piano for the choirs of Rockhurst High School; in-person singing lessons are usually held in my office or the choir room inside the school. Starting Friday, November 5th, masks became optional for vaccinated students at the school. At first glance this may seem not to align with the current KCMO order regarding schools, however I have been directly advised by the principal:

The Emergency Order, then and now, exempts properties “owned or operated on behalf of a religious corporation, association, or society.”​

Rockhurst has notified the city that they are making the change to mask-optional in light of a religious exemption. Given that, I will begin offering in-person lessons again starting on Monday the 8th. Safety protocols will be followed; read below for more.

The updated school policy specifies that masks are optional/no longer required for vaccinated students, and I am also comfortable with a vaccinated singing student having a lesson without a facemask. Unvaccinated students may have an in-person lesson wearing a mask, or also may choose to continue lessons on FaceTime until either that policy changes or until their vaccination status is updated.
​

Safety Protocols
​​

76% of the student body and 90% of the adults working at Rockhurst have been vaccinated. Very few Covid cases have happened at the school this academic year.  Lessons will obviously involve just one student at a time in the choir room. (For now, lessons will only be held out in the larger space rather than in my smaller office.)
​​

The school made pandemic improvements to its HVAC system, and the choir room is additionally supported by 3 HEPA air filters that further increase the number of air exchanges per hour. But certainly the biggest safety protocol is that lessons involve only one singer at a time, and I will remain socially-distanced from them the entire time.

I have no problem disclosing that I am fully vaccinated - and boosted as well, since that is available to teachers. I will continue to be as up-to-date as allowed if there are any further steps I can take as pandemic science, treatment, and prevention continue to develop and create a safer world for all. My number one priority is to create a safe and healthy environment for all the singers.

I won't be masked during in-person lessons, but again it's a large room where far more than adequate distancing will be maintained. Just to reiterate for ensured clarity: Vaccinated students may sing lessons without masks. Unvaccinated students may have an in-person lesson wearing a mask or choose to continue on FaceTime. Because of a unique set of circumstances that I won't go into here, I will not be able to verify students' vaccination status like many other private lessons music instructors are doing (meaning I certainly won't be checking cards or anything). I am relying on your good will to be honest in following the procedure set by the school.
​

FaceTime Option Continues
​

Though I believe a solo singing lesson under these conditions will be a relatively lower-risk activity, it is important to state that in-person singing is not completely risk-free. There is potential for aerosol droplets from previous students' lessons to remain in the air, especially in back-to-back scheduled lessons. I believe that any family who decides to continue FaceTime lessons for now is making a completely understandable, prudent choice, and I will likely continue to offer remote lessons forever actually.

Any student may stay on FaceTime for convenience's sake as well! For some, an in-person lesson means a commute through heavy traffic. I would be fine with students alternating weeks, or coming in-person occasionally. (That would require a little more active communication on your part, of course, to make sure I send the FaceTime lesson message on the correct weeks.)

Rockhurst has said that this mask-optional policy is not totally guaranteed in the future. If the very unfortunate situation arises where transmission of Covid increases on campus, they will go back to masks, and that would mean we'd need to change back to remote singing as well. I appreciate your support and flexibility as we all continue to navigate this difficult and complex situation. But for now, I look forward to welcoming at least some of the studio back to an experience that far more closely resembles normalcy.
​

​​Any other questions or concerns?
​Let me know, and I'll incorporate anything I haven't thought of into these guidelines.