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Finding Harmony, and a Good Wi-Fi Signal

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Posted on May 5, 2020

Thomas Becnel

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For Zoom music lessons on her home computer, Dr. Andra Bohnet sports a custom backdrop of Frodo鈥檚 house in the Shire from 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings.鈥�

The South music professor keeps things light and lively, waving her arms and clapping her hands to keep time.

On the other half of the computer screen, Rebecca Bates plays her flute in what looks like a barn outside Birmingham.

The University of South Alabama junior explains that her parents鈥� house doesn鈥檛 have WiFi, so she goes to a shed behind her grandmother鈥檚 place in Oak Grove. Beneath wooden beams and a tin roof, she begins one of the more challenging melodies from Franz Doppler鈥檚 鈥淗ungarian Pastoral Fantasy.鈥�

Bates starts and stops, starts and stops, with Bohnet critiquing individual notes and overall impressions.

鈥淚t still sounds a tiny bit fast. ... Make sure I鈥檓 hearing the G natural in that arpeggio. ... Try it again, all the way through.鈥�

After her student plays a section, Bohnet often steps in and plays the same thing. The one thing they can鈥檛 do is play together, because of a one-second lag in the Internet connection.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so weird,鈥� Bohnet tells Bates, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檓 watching your fingers and listening to the sound, but they don鈥檛 match up. It鈥檚 freaking me out.鈥�

With that, they return to the 鈥淧astoral Fantasy,鈥� as student and professor making the best of distance learning during a coronavirus pandemic.

In this most unusual of spring semesters, all sorts of South musicians are practicing at home and performing whenever and however they can.

Members of the Jaguar Marching Band are recording audio and video for a virtual performance of the 鈥淪outh鈥� fight song. Members of the Wind Ensemble are joining students from more than 20 colleges in a virtual piece commissioned from composer Ryan Williams.

Mourning 鈥楾he Mikado鈥�

Dr. Thomas Rowell, who leads the opera program at South, says he is still mourning the cancellation of 鈥淭he Mikado鈥� in April. The Gilbert and Sullivan classic will return next year, but several seniors will miss their one chance at performing it in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a disappointment for them, for sure,鈥� Rowell said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 the biggest hit for me, too.鈥�

This year, there have been positive aspects for what Rowell calls the great adventure of giving voice lessons online.

鈥淚n some respects, we鈥檙e getting more done, because I can concentrate on the student,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have as many distractions, so we can focus a bit more.鈥�

For years, Rowell required his students to dress properly for voice lessons in his studio. This meant business casual attire, at a minimum 鈥� no shorts, T-shirts or sandals. Things are more casual for sessions on Zoom.

鈥淵es,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淚 did have to relax on that.鈥�

For Dr. Will Peterson, director of bands, the spring semester has been a blur of online tuba and conducting classes. He, too, has found a professional bright side to distance learning.

鈥淚t鈥檚 changed some of the things I do,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very interactive teacher, but I can鈥檛 do that as much, so it鈥檚 forced me to listen better. That鈥檚 been revealing for me as a teacher.鈥�

Peterson experimented with Zoom settings for his online lessons. To play along with students, he sometimes turns off his volume, or theirs, to make it easier for them to keep time.

鈥淵ou can do it,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 a little tricky.鈥�

The lessons of music education during a public health crisis include embracing communications and recording technology. Even the most traditional educators have had to sharpen old skills and pick up new ones.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be better for it in the long run,鈥� Peterson said.

Dr. Laura Moore, interim chair for the department of music, said South students and teachers miss the close-knit world that revolved around Laidlaw studios and auditoriums. At home, some music students don鈥檛 have access to quality pianos. Some voice majors have trouble finding accompaniment.

Communication is only as good as their Internet connections.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing worse than trying to teach conducting and having everybody鈥檚 screen freeze at the same moment,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭hen I have to go, 鈥極k, let鈥檚 try that again.鈥� But it鈥檚 so nice to see people. The visual aspect is so important.

鈥淥n the vocal side, we鈥檇 already done some long-distance auditions via Skype. So we were familiar with that. Being able to make the switch is just doing that on a much larger scale.鈥�

鈥楤ack to the Flute鈥�

During lessons with Bohnet, Bates and her instructor share nervous jokes about an upcoming recital. They can feel the pressure. Distance learning has its limits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful, but not the same,鈥� Bates says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 way better than nothing. I鈥檇 rather do this than send in videos every week.鈥�

When her student falters during the 鈥淧astoral Fantasy,鈥� Bohnet is blunt.

鈥淭he first part was good, but then you did that wacky stuff again. 鈥� Try it again. 鈥� The first two were good, the third one was crummy.鈥�

Whenever possible, she remains positive.

鈥淧erfect, absolutely perfect. 鈥� Trust yourself there. 鈥� Try it again, all the way through.鈥�

Bohnet suggests Ward practice on her own with tracks recorded on music software such as Audacity or even the GarageBand computer program.

Their half-hour lesson gets interrupted twice, once when Bohnet鈥檚 Internet service goes down, and once when she gets a call about a broken appliance. She and her student talk about the crazy days of the coronavirus. They circle around to South and her upcoming recital.

鈥淥K,鈥� the professor finally says. 鈥淏ack to the flute.鈥�

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