The musically inclined students at EHS have overcome countless crossroads throughout the global pandemic. One of the most recent challenges includes the annual winter band performance. With the entire school undergoing quarantine, the students were unable to perform during the Christmas season. Band Director, Logan Doddridge, determined that he still wanted to share his students’ skills with the community. 

With the help of the Tech Department, Doddridge was able to assemble a camera and microphone, which he set up in the band room. He then scheduled a live stream for Thursday, January 7. Beginning at six, the band students arrived at the school to perform in front of a camera, while their families watched from home. 

Although the idea was resourceful and brilliant, a few aspects must be adjusted if the music department decides to undergo another online performance. Disappointingly, the first half of the live stream had no audio. Parents at home were watching their students play an instrument without hearing the beautiful music being released. No one inside of the band room was aware of the situation and continued to play without audio recording. Halfway through the performance, Doddridge discovered the issue and quickly did what he could to fix it. The rest of the show had rough, touchy audio, leaving students, staff, and families slightly disappointed. Band student Cameron Shaw (22) said, “Considering the adversary of having to do it online, we did great. I feel like the technical issues could have been prevented in some ways and I hope the administration can think of a way to improve. Regardless of everything, I was just happy to play.”

Despite the technical issues, the bands had a great night of performing their Christmas music. “The kids did great. And that was what was even more frustrating. They played phenomenally, especially with taking three weeks off. I was really proud of them. So it was really unfortunate that the stream didn’t go according to plan,” Doddridge said.