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MidStates Band Association (KY, OH, IN) has canceled their 2020 season.

http://www.midstatesba.org/2020/07-20-2020 MSBA Covid-19 Statement Regarding the 2020 Season.pdf

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Michigan Competing Band Association has canceled state championships and truncated their season.

https://themcba.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=139

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6 minutes ago, hostrauser said:

MidStates Band Association (KY, OH, IN) has canceled their 2020 season.

http://www.midstatesba.org/2020/07-20-2020 MSBA Covid-19 Statement Regarding the 2020 Season.pdf

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7 minutes ago, hostrauser said:

Michigan Competing Band Association has canceled state championships and truncated their season.

https://themcba.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=139

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Posting just for informational purposes. The majority of competing Ohio bands do so under the auspices of the Ohio Music Education Association (that includes many bands that also compete in MSBA or BOA; even William Mason appeared in one OMEA show last year--although that's a rarity). OMEA's website has never been the most user friendly, and is now undergoing a redesign, and sometimes direct links are not available, but on May 29, they issued this thirteen-page statement, twelve of which are the "Guidance for a Return to High School Marching Band" that was crafted by the National Federation of State High School Associations' Music Committee and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. (That guidance may be of interest for considering how it might apply to drum corps.) The actual OMEA statement (bolding in original) on the first page was:

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TO: All Ohio Band Directors

RE: Resuming Band Activities (COVID-19)

DATE: May 29th, 2020

ATTACHED: NFHS Guidance for a Return to High School Marching Band

On May 21st, the Governor’s Office announced that training and conditioning for limited contact sports, and full contact sports,could resume on May 26th. As part of this order Lt. Governor Husted explained that the state was altering the Heath Order that had previously restricted access to public school facilities until after June 30th.

This new directive, announced in partnership with OHSAA, gives each school district the option to allow their students to practice at school facilities, under the strict protocols and preconditions developed by OHSAA.

On May 28th the National Federation of State High School Associations released their guidelines for "A Return to High School Marching Band". This document strongly resembles the guidelines released a week earlier by NFHS regarding resuming sports practices, and also is very similar to what OHSAA is recommending.

Band directors are encouraged to begin practice and rehearsal while adhering to the NFHS COVID-19 protocols or the stated policies adopted by their school districts.

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That letter actually appears as a link from a June 27 update (to which I can't directly link), which reads as follows:

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A Return to High School Marching Band

It has become obvious that there is a wide disparity in how districts are reacting to the Governor's Office / OHSAA announcement that, as of May 26, contact and non-contact sports activities can resume in Ohio.

Some schools are electing to not resume any activities, some are only allowing athletic activities and no band, and others are allowing athletics and band. While OMEA recognizes that per the Governor's Office / OHSAA announcement school districts have full discretion on how and when to resume activities, we are recommending that band activities be allowed to continue with appropriate precautions.

Yesterday the National Federation of State High School Associations released their guidelines for "A Return to High School Marching Band" (attached). [1] This document STRONGLY resembles the guidelines released last week by by NFHS regarding resuming sports practices, and also is very similar to what OHSAA is recommending. [2]

If you are in a district where sports have resumed, but band activities still are prohibited, I would encourage you to pass this on to your administrators. I have also included a pdf letter for your convenience stating OMEA's position at this time. At this time, the NFHS's Guidance for a Return to High School Marching Band is the protocol that OMEA is recommending, although directors must of course defer to district policies and local health authorities.

Please pass this on to our director friends who may not participate in OMEA MB Adjudicated Events, but could still benefit from this guidance. [3]

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[1] It's not clear to me whether those guidelines were released just before the late May announcement or just before the late June announcement.

[2] Checking the NFHS website, I find they commissioned a "Performing Arts Aerosol Study", whose initial results are described here. This may be of interest: "the study recommends masks be worn by all students and staff in a performing arts room – even while playing instruments when possible – and that no talking should be done without a mask on. Participants who cannot feasibly wear a mask over the mouth while playing should wear one on the chin and move it over the mouth when resting. Teachers can reduce their own emissions by using a portable amplifier to keep their voices at a low conversational volume."

[3] As I noted recently in another thread, Ohio has more than 850 high schools. About 225 of those have marching bands who compete. I don't have a count, but I feel sure that at least a majority of the others also have marching bands.

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If you can navigate your way through OMEA's website, they do have a good collection of links on a Covid resources page with all manner of news and recommendations, including such things as "COVID-19 Instrument Cleaning Guidelines."

Carry on.

Edited by N.E. Brigand
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7 hours ago, hostrauser said:

Michigan Competing Band Association has canceled state championships and truncated their season.

https://themcba.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=139

Interesting where many other circuits are canceling their seasons, often with a unanimous vote, but MCBA states that 96% of their membership supports moving ahead with a full slate of October shows with only state championships cancelled. Knowing band directors,  I somehow get the feeling there was less of a consensus in that meeting than they claim. 

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Tonight the Ohio Music Education Association canceled all local state sanctioned events and OMEA State Finals.  This amounts to about 60 competitions.  Local competitions are still free to run their own competition, but without OMEA sanctioning and no qualifying for State Finals.  

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8 hours ago, oldbandguy said:

Tonight the Ohio Music Education Association canceled all local state sanctioned events and OMEA State Finals.  This amounts to about 60 competitions.  Local competitions are still free to run their own competition, but without OMEA sanctioning and no qualifying for State Finals.  

Thank you and updated.  Please let me know if you have a link for this one.

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