By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

“I would give anything to wear concert black to anything,” said East Kentwood graduate Hailey Cone, who is studying music at Grand Rapids Community College.

Because COVID is airborne with studies showing that the potential for transmission is high during performances such as singing, concerts and performances from local schools, colleges, and amateur and professional groups have been put on hold. As more people get vaccinated, the indication is that performances may return with several local art organizations planning for fall seasons.

Still, for GRCC, most of the concerts have been online with students recording parts individually and professors pulling the elements together for the online performance.

“I miss it so much,” Cone said during a phone interview. “I really miss the community, being in-person and that immediate feedback.”

Changing the “College Experience”

Ask any college student what has been the biggest challenge over the past year and it isn’t technology issues or online classes — most deal with that during a normal college year — but rather the loss of the “college experience.”

“When you think about it, you pay to have that college experience,” said Emily Holmes, a senior at Grand Valley State University studying film and broadcasting. “It is a big part about going away to college.”

Anyone who has attended a college campus tour will attest that a big part of the tour is the social life, campus cafes, student organizations, and school traditions. The sell is students being able to experience independence by living on campus, attending college events and yes, even parties.

But what COVID has taught many is that the experience you have at college is what you make it. So instead of big parties, there are small online groups with students redesigning what the college experience is.

Holmes said for her, it became almost a necessity to build that online community to help overcome a new form of depression that centered around the need for interaction. In fact, it has been proven that social interaction is a key to good health — physical and emotional.

“I always considered myself an introvert, but through this I have discovered that I like to be around people more than I thought,” she said.

Because classes have been mostly virtual, the key for many college students has been connecting with each other online, said Emily Smith, an adjunct professor of music at Grand Rapids Community College. This also has lead to other habits that may better prepare students for life, Smith said.

 

“Students have had to take ownership of their learning,” she said. “In pre-pandemic, students would follow what was presented in class but since the pandemic, students have taken more ownership by utilizing their resources better and being independent in their studies.”

Through that process, students are utilizing their resources more, connecting with each other through new ways, and focusing their independent study to make improvements as they prepare for voice lessons and practices, she said.

 

“I have become more experimental with my camera work,” Holmes said, crediting the lockdown for the opportunity to try new things. “I have been working on my editing skills, becoming more focused and putting time into projects.”

Smith said she does not believe that the lack of in-person activities such as performances have had an impact in students deciding to change their career paths.

“I have seen situations such as financial instability caused from the pandemic resulting in hard economic challenges that have caused some students to change or leave,” Smith said.

The silver lining

For most, the desire to get the degree in their selected profession has been the biggest motivating factor.

“Through these trying times, music has been by saving grace,” Cone said. “I feel like I want this degree and that I want it more than anything.”

Cone added that she found the greatest inspiration from the pandemic was that that as a whole, humanity is pretty resilient.

“The pandemic has taken so much away, making you feel so alone, but at the same time, we have found ways to connect online, to have virtual choirs and that has been inspiring,” she said.