To set the record straight, I was never a fan of the 80s boy band New Kids on the Block. Just had to make that perfectly clear before jumping into this post. :-) However, their name is a fitting title for today's speculative subject.
When the Tabernacle Choir shut down normal rehearsals and performances back in March, the "new kids" (those who had just joined the Choir in January and were going through Choir School) were just about to perform their concert and finally join the Tabernacle Choir as full-fledged members. Obviously that never happened. As such, the new kids have never actually rehearsed or performed with the Choir yet. AND, if we're not able to meet the rest of 2020, they will have missed out on their first year entirely.
Keeping that in mind, the Choir presidency decided to go ahead and hold auditions this year which means we'd expect a whole new set of new kids to start Choir School in January of 2021. Assuming of course, that come January, COVID-related singing restrictions won't still be in place.
Having two sets of new kids puts the choir in an interesting predicament which brings with it a whole slew of things to ponder:
*Will those who were set to have 2020 be their last year in the choir (either because they had reached 20 years or they turned 60) be allowed to stay through all of 2021? Holding auditions to bring in new people for 2021 would seem to answer that question as "no".
*Will the 2020 new kids be eligible to go on tour for 2021? Typically those who just joined the Choir aren't eligible for tour if the tour takes place in the same year they joined. But since we haven't been able to rehearse all year, perhaps they won't be eligible until the 2022 tour (or will it be the 2023 tour)?
*Will the 2020 new kids get to do their concert that never was, or will they just join the 2021 new kids for theirs? If the 2020 new kids go through the 2021 Choir School (which is standard protocol--each choir member does two rounds of Choir School), they will have gone through two rounds of Choir school right in a row.
*Will the 2020 new kids get to join the Choir for the Messiah Concert scheduled for Spring of 2021? I suppose that would depend on when the Choir resumes normal operations.
No doubt the Choir Presidency is mulling over all of these things and will do their best to make the best decisions possible. Of course, the biggest determining factor is when, exactly, we'll be able to start things up again. Recent studies have shown what it takes to keep choir members safe while they sing, and various middle schools and high schools across the country are looking to adopt those standards so that choir classes can be held. Such safety protocols are the same ones we're all used to: wearing a mask, standing apart, operating in a well ventilated area (or outside), etc. These may work OK for schools who are actually letting kids come back to school in the fall, especially because schools can probably accommodate such safety protocols (though they certainly aren't ideal for choral singing). But such protocols seem unlikely to work for the mega-sized Tabernacle Choir. A much-anticipated vaccine would really help normal operations to resume quite quickly, but there are just about as many questions about that as there are for the new kid scenarios already spoken of. How quickly would the vaccine be available? Who gets it first when it does become available? What if some Choir members prefer not to take the vaccine?
Sigh. The inordinate number of variables and questions continue.
In the meantime, we move forward with our lives, enjoy the blessings and opportunities we have, and hope for better days ahead.
Until next time, may God be with you.
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