NASHVILLE — This week’s Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois MVT–Most Valuable Teacher Award goes to Mr. Steve Browne, the Music Director at Nashville Community High School.
As you might imagine, conducting band during the pandemic has been quite a challenge. Browne has around 80 students in band. With NCHS using a hybrid schedule, the band is divided into two groups. Even split in half, the band still needs a large area to play to comply with social distance guidelines.
So Browne and eight of his students built a 30×40 pavilion outside the school where they have practiced nearly every day until the cold weather recently. When they can’t go outside, they practice in the gym.
Whether they are playing in their new pavilion or in the gym, each student playing an instrument has a specially made band mask. These masks are longer but have a slit to allow the instrument to be played. Some instruments also have coverings.
According to Browne, his students have handled all changes and obstacles in their way.
Now the band is preparing for the school’s annual Christmas concert, which is set for December 13th. It will be a virtual concert and will be streamed on Browne’s YouTube channel. Each half of the band will have its own songs, something Browne says was done so there would be more music for the concert.
As student Lilly Dunahee told us, “He’s very patient with the new band students and very caring towards all. He has really done an awesome job getting the whole band together during this difficult time. He’s a big blessing to not only his students, but also NCHS!”
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