COVID-19 Update: Studio Reopening Procedures

Here's our studio plan to resume the option for in-person lessons in compliance with the Kansas phased reopening plan. (And if you're a piano student reading this, go practice a song every time you read the word 'reopening'! ;D) If you are not familiar with Governor Kelly's phased reopening guidelines, I've put all the images at the bottom of the page for reference.

 The good news is: The studio will be able to resume in-person lessons when the state has reached Phase 2. Hooray! After that we will follow the example of the local schools - if they are doing hybrid or in-person learning, we will too. If they are full remote, we will be too. We'll also be taking some extra precautions when that happens, and specifically making some changes to the studio layout, waiting area and cleaning procedures between lessons to help keep everyone safe. Please read these below. 

  • The online studio will remain open for the forseeable future. This means if you have traveled to an affected area, had a known exposure to COVID-19, are showing symptoms on our screening checklist, or just want to continue exercising some extra caution, you can still enter the Online Studio via Zoom to attend your lessons virtually.
  • Students are required to wear masks. I will be wearing one the entire time I am teaching until we're clear of this (I just ordered a musical one I'm pretty excited about having for lessons!). Remember that the point of the mask is to prevent spreading the virus to others in case you are carrying it and just aren't symptomatic. Wearing these will help ensure that all students (and your teacher!), as well as anyone who is more vulnerable in our families, will have a better chance of remaining healthy.
  • The Waiting Area will be removed so that we can space out the piano lab stations a little more. I will be asking that students wait in their cars or hang out in the front yard until the lesson before them has been dismissed. This will also help us limit the number of people in the studio at any given time. 
    • I will also be asking that, unless there is a pressing reason or you have a very young student, parents either wait in the car or run an errand during lessons, because (1) we won't have an established waiting area for you, and (2) it will help us limit the number of people in the studio. 
  • Please bring only the necessary lesson books into the studio - extra bags, jackets, toys etc should remain in the car. 
  • Once you come in, we'll be washing hands thoroughly before sitting down at the instruments. I'm sure we've all heard the 20 second recommendation, so each week I'll have a different 20 second song clip for us to wash our hands to. This way we'll get to kill those germs AND brush up on our music history!
  • Any game manipulatives like dice or coins will be 'single use' each day. After we've finished a game, any pieces used will be dropped into a jar of disinfectant to be cleaned for the next day. 
  • At the end of each and every lesson we'll be wiping down all the piano stations with disinfectant (including piano keys, pencils, headphones, bench, stand etc), as well as the doorknobs and other commonly touched surfaces.
  • If at any point, the local situation worsens to a point where USD 418 switches to remote learning, we will also return to online instruction only. 
If you as a piano parent or student ever have any questions about what to expect, or any of these procedures, please don't hesitate to let me know. The thing that I like to focus on and remember during this very strange time is that we still get to make music together and be part of a piano studio community that can continue to exercise our creativity and approach these changes with curiosity and a spirit of fun instead of fear. I'm so excited for our summer session when we get to work on writing some original music, and I look forward to braving this unknown future with you all one day at a time. Be well, everyone!