SHENANDOAH, Pa. — If there's one thing any musician knows how to do, it's change—change keys, change tempos, change dynamics. But no sheet music can prepare you for the changes that accompany a pandemic.
Still, band director John Shoener says his students at Shenandoah Valley High School gave their best performance.
"I would say our students have been great throughout this whole process. It's certainly something that I never thought that we'd have to go through," Shoener said.
Those changes did come with a few extra sharps and flats than normal. At first, Shoener used Zoom and Google Classroom for lessons, but this year the high school band has been able to meet in person after school, spread out for rehearsals in the auditorium.
No matter what format, senior drum major Kaitlyn Carduff says she wouldn't miss it.
"The band is really like my family. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't in the band," Carduff said. "We have to wear, like, playing masks now and use bell covers, but it's not really that big of an inconvenience."
It's been a year of missed opportunities. Senior Jesse Carl wishes the marching band could have cheered on the Blue Devils at away games last season.
"One of the big things pre-COVID was the bus ride, so they're having fun and all that stuff, but we didn't really get to do that."
But the students' dedication paid off. The district was one of a select few that received national recognition for its top-tier music education program. The award from the National Association of Music Merchants is displayed proudly.
"It means a lot because over the years, the program's had its ups and downs, but it seems like we're going in a really good direction," said Shoener.
"Especially around here, you don't really see us get many awards like that, so it's great to finally be recognized for something that is making a difference in many people's lives," Carl added.
Although right now, life seems to be full of wrong notes and dissonance, like any good band, they stick to the beat.
"Even though the world is changing around us, we are still together," said Carduff.
And they're hoping for new melodies ahead.