Studio News

Studio Re-opening

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 by Graham Yates | Announcements

Reopening the studio is a tricky topic. On the one hand, most businesses and public services have reopened. On the other hand, cases are continuing to rise, so we are by no means out of the woods. It seems that the major part of the risk of infection through aerosolized droplets will fall on visitors to my studio, which is my "air space" if you will. So let me start off by saying:

  1. Zoom lessons can continue at students’ or parents’ discretion indefinitely during the pandemic. You have my full support to continue attending lessons through Zoom.

  2. The studio, despite the following re-opening plan, may revert back to online-only lessons if the pandemic worsens and are ordered to do so by authorities.

  3. That said, I am willing to re-open the studio starting Monday, June 15, with the following safety protocols, which are based on the diagram below:

  1. Masks: students (for whom it is age-appropriate) and the teacher shall wear masks while in the Studio.
  2. Distance: students and the teacher shall maintain social distancing of 6 feet (approx. one piano length).
  3. Clean hands: Students shall use hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the studio. Hand sanitizer will be provided for students who do not have their own.
  4. Fewer people: I ask at this time that everyone except the student stay outside of the studio during the lesson. Students should only enter at their lesson time, and plan to leave promptly at the end of their lesson. Back-to-back lessons will be reduced by 5 minutes in order to allow time for properly cleaning surfaces between students, and to avoid student overlap.
  5. Keep interactions brief: Risk of infection increases with the length of time of exposure. It is my understanding that indoor interactions of less than one hour are acceptable.
  6. Avoid sharing: I ask that families plan to not have to use the restroom at the studio at this time (although of course it is available for emergencies).

 

All this aside, let me say I am excited to welcome those of you who choose to attend lessons in-person back to the studio soon! Please let me know if you plan on attending in-person so I can update the calendar accordingly. Lessons will default to Zoom unless I hear directly from you.


Thank you for your continued support and your patience during this challenging time.