Taking a quick look at my schedule, I confirm my hunch that it’s time for my last class for the night. At 11:30 p.m, Hong Kong time, on the first day of winter term online learning, I wearily make my way back to my desk to join the Symphony Orchestra through Zoom, already missing the liveliness of the in-person ensemble playing last term.
Playing in Orchestra while being online — a feat sometimes not even possible for those in time zones halfway across the world — and not hearing anyone else certainly has made the extracurricular activity lose part of its charm and community connection.
Art is often an intimate activity that requires closeness. Theater, dance, and music — none of the various forms of art in the world are meant to be isolating experiences. Even outside of an academic environment, concerts, theater, and dance are best experienced in-person. I wish I could have experienced a normal year at Choate, one full of ensemble performances, art showcases, and productions. I wish I could have experienced art at Choate in a Covid-free world.
As I’ve heard from Choate upperclassmen, the most popular arts events on campus are plays and musicals each term. I’ve heard of the show nights at the end of each term and the fun weekend experiences of watching productions with friends. The school year also normally promises other exciting events such as Acapellooza — a big joint a cappella fundraising performance in the spring term — the annual dance concert, and even guest performers whose shows are open to the general Wallingford public. But, as I hear these stories from older students, I wish I could experience these events alongside my freshman friends.
Art productions and showcases are not just opportunities for artistic expression, but also community-building experiences. I’m sure that many students are already more familiar with these events than I, but hearing about them as a freshman this year was deeply saddening. I could only imagine the could-have-beens — what I could have experienced without Covid-19. What evenings had I missed out on where I could have freely gone to watch a show in the Paul Mellon Arts Center (PMAC) with friends in a parallel universe?
The challenges of consuming art in times of Covid are further exacerbated by the presence of hybrid learning. While I was lucky enough to be on campus during the fall term, virtual students had even slimmer pickings in terms of immersing themselves in the arts. For example, in Orchestra, it was difficult to gear rehearsals to be inclusive of virtual students when there was a live student orchestra present and audibly playing that the teacher could focus on.
Even as we return to hybrid learning on campus, remote students, social distancing, and room occupancy limits will no doubt hold arts programs back from replicating the same experience as in-person arts events as we once knew them. Yet, while the pandemic has made the quintessential Choate Arts experience impossible, I am still thankful for what the School has been able to offer and accomplish within these constraints, especially through a digital platform.
Art isn’t isolating, and especially in these times, it should connect us. I look forward to the days when we can all head down to the PMAC to watch the latest production, huddle in the Chapel to hear an a cappella performance, or perform on the Colony Hall stage with Orchestra. Some day, I will live out my dreams and experience art at Choate as it was meant to be: together, live, in person.
