Column: Music major madness among COVID-19

Performance based courses will struggle with virtual instruction. The majority of classes can be taught through online methods, and schools across the countries are shutting down and shifting toward this virtual form for the semester.

When I heard that classes were going to be taught through virtual means at USC Aiken, I laughed.

My English, math, history, and Spanish class will be okay, but my music and performance based courses …that’s not going to be fun. At all. 

I am currently enrolled in three performance based courses. All three initially required face-to-face instruction, where grades are based upon quality of performance and improvement over time in class. 

Sure, video calls can be used to attend class and recordings can be sent to our professors, but there are a few problems that come with these methods.

 One problem is that not every music performer has access to instruments at home.

Tuba players, percussionists and students that rent their instrument from their school have nothing to practice with. Some students are not allowed to practice in their home because the instruments’ volume is too loud and noisy. 

Another problem is that the quality of a recording may not be the same quality as a performance in person. There are certain things that do not translate well over recordings such as tone quality, dynamics and style.

Sometimes there is too much background noise that doesn’t get canceled out. All are reasons that cause the quality to be less that what it would be in-person. 

I know that our professors are doing their best and we will figure out a way to adequately grade our progress. I know I am not looking forward for this process.