General performing arts recommendations
- room occupancy limited to 15 students and distancing must be 9 feet between students and instructors.
- limited to 30 minutes.
- students must wear a 3-layer surgical style, well-fitting mask (except wind instrumentalists)
- wind instrument players must use a mask adapted for playing & have covers for their instruments designed to filter aerosols (see below)
- Instructors for practice sessions have a medium exposure risk and must use a non-cloth disposable mask: dust mask, KN95 or other NIOSH-style filtering face-piece respirators.
- Limit duration of activity to 30 minutes.
- Time between practice sessions should be 20 minutes to allow for a minimum of 1 air exchange rate (ACH) between groups using a space, although 3 ACH is preferred.
- Clean instruments and equipment using COVID-19 Instrument Cleaning Guidelines as well as manufacturer recommendations.
- Avoid shared music, instruments, or other supplies; and perform safe storage options for equipment.
- Instrumentalists must control spit valve releases in a manner that prevents spread, and wash hands immediately after.
Choir/Singing & Theater/Drama
- Follow all general performing arts recommendations listed above.
- If singing, shouting, or cheering, a 3-layer surgical style, well-fitting mask is required.
- No contact between students.
Modifications required while playing wind instruments
- surgical-style mask with a slit for instrument mouthpiece, or face covering with tightly woven, stretchy overlapping fabric that allows access for the instrument mouthpiece and re-closes over the outside of the mouthpiece.
- brass & woodwind instruments should have specially designed bell covers of multiple layers of tightly woven fabric, ideally with the middle layer being MERV-13 filter material, which securely covers the entire bell of the instrument.
- Flutes and recorders should use a tightly woven cloth material over the end of the barrel.
- Bags with hand openings are another option for woodwind instruments to limit aerosol spread.