North East ISD music students have gone from performing in a classroom with their peers to practicing alone in their homes. The loss of events like spring concerts, Evening with Strings and UIL contests has been a disappointment for students and teachers alike, but they aren’t letting distance learning stop them from growing as musicians.
Music teacher Annette Solano is doing everything she can to maintain a personal connection between her Eisenhower Middle School orchestra students through daily practice sessions on Zoom.
“Seeing each other through Zoom helps because they can hold each other accountable, we can try to tweak things here and there while cheering for each other,” said Solano. “Nothing replaces the classroom, but for the moment, we will continue to reinforce fundamentals using exercises that will help them grow as musicians in their own way and prepare for when we meet up again.”
Online learning has presented many different challenges, from maintaining instruments, differing technology and the anxiety of the unknown. Solano believes the unifying factor is we’re all in this together, and her students are doing everything they can to meet every challenge head-on.
“Being an active learner has helped ease some anxiety for us all and has also built camaraderie,” said Solano. “We are all in this together. I just hope to continue encouraging them and remind them that they are loved.”
