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Facemasks and temperature checks became routine when the Luverne High School marching band opened its two-week summer camp Monday.
Last week first-year students went through the same routine during freshmen and colorguard camp, where they learned the basics before joining the 50-member group this week.
Josie Golla, a senior, returns as drum major to the band that is already smaller in numbers.
“I am trying to make the best of it,” she said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
Half the band’s annual competitions have already been canceled, and the effects of the virus have families cautious about joining large group activities.
“This year will look totally different,” said band director James Jarvie.
With almost a dozen fewer members, Jarvie and colorguard adviser Gavin Folkestad spent the weekend rewriting the band’s field routine to adapt it to band size and COVID rules.
Members are now placed 6 feet apart, and playing time has been cut by a third to just over six minutes.
The new theme tries to capture the chaotic and life-changing effects of COVID-19.
School buildings closed in March and remain closed as students attended classes virtually through May during a statewide quarantine.
“There has been a lot of disappointment this year,” Folkestad said. “But there are a lot of positives coming out of this.”
During the quarantine, students and staff found new hobbies, enjoyed more family time and appreciated activities they love, which, for some, included music.