Don’t Lick Door Knobs!
I have been very lucky compared to many of my colleagues, only catching a couple of this winter’s “what’s going around” bugs. I will say that the one that I finally did catch (or did it catch me?) has lingered a bit longer than I would have liked. As a wind musician, I rely on being able to control my breathing so I can play my flute. (I actually have a concert to play tonight and am hoping I am good to go.) When I am down for the count with a cold or virus (which, for me, always seems to come with congestion and coughing), I am truly “out of business”, music-wise. Especially when my voice goes too, which usually seems to happen during concert weeks.
As a middle school Band Director, I spend my day in a big, musical, petri dish, full of kids who often need help making music out of an inanimate object made from metal and plastic. “Helping”, often involves teaching proper breathing and demonstrating proper embouchure (lip muscles used in tone production), or correcting finger placements to seal the keys properly, as well as making adjustments to the instruments they have been touching. We spend lots of time in close proximity to one another, often do breathing exercises together, and are playing instruments that use mouthpieces, require covering finger holes and emptying water keys, and placing and frequently adjusting reeds on mouthpieces before putting them into our mouths; it should come as no surprise…” spit happens”, as do germs, in a Band room from time to time!
We do have a simple but effective system in place that, when applied consistently, helps to keep the music going and keep everyone healthy in our Band room. No sharing of instruments, always coughing into elbows, washing hands, using hand gel and Lysol wipes, and using disinfectant spray to sanitize mouthpieces are all simple things, but together they work to keep our musicians healthy, even proving effective throughout the whole pandemic nightmare.
Illness does happen despite our best efforts, though, sometimes resulting in absences from school. When a student returns to school after being out sick for a few days, I often tell them to “eat apples”, since I grew up hearing the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. I also tell my Band kids, “don’t lick door knobs”, as an outrageous reminder to think about and avoid germs when possible. No, I don’t REALLY think they are out there licking doorknobs, but this is middle school after all, so who knows??
When someone is sick, they should not be playing a wind instrument, especially if they have a fever or headache, or sinus/chest congestion. After recovering from an illness such as strep or flu, it is wise to clean mouthpieces (JUST mouthpieces please– not the entire instrument) with warm (not hot) dish-soapy water, and it is recommended that you throw away old reeds and replace your playing reed with a new one so you run no danger of reinfecting yourself as you start to play again. Anytime you are dealing with an illness or dental issue, please communicate with your director, and we will work with you!
–MizB
