In-Person Rehearsals

Guidelines
Updated 2.9.21

We are currently in Phase 2

Phase 1: Individual rehearsals permitted
All in-person activities will be required to follow masking, distancing, and occupancy mandates. Activities will be subject to time limits and groups must keep track of participants. No food will be allowed in phase one. All meetings and events must be approved by the vice president for Student Affairs. Student Affairs staff will monitor activities and student organization advisors are strongly encouraged to participate.

Student organizations can hold small group, in-person meetings/events with prior approval.
The HUB-Robeson Center, the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, and Schwab Auditorium will have rooms available for small group, in-person meetings/events.
Groups can reserve one room per week for up to one hour for a meeting or event.
Outdoor activities will be strongly encouraged and the University will work to make equipment and other resources available.

Phase 2: Music and performing arts organizations can practice within limits

General Guidelines for All Rehearsals
1. Request to rehearse must be approved through student affairs
  1. Approval form
  2. Student Organizations can reserve space in the following locations: the HUB-Robeson Center, Schwab Auditorium, Pasquerilla, and Forum
2. All vocal and wind instrument rehearsals must be kept to 30 minutes with 30 minutes minimum in between
  1. All other rehearsals can be 45 minutes on with 30 minutes in between
3. The rehearsal space should be sanitized using cleaning materials before and after use
  1. Suggested cleaning supplies can be found here
  2. Please be advised that pianos require special detergents. The School of Music recommends, Lysol Clean and Fresh $1 concentrate at the Dollar Store
4. Don’t share materials
5. All members will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after rehearsals
6. Have members fill out the COVID symptom checker on Penn State Go
7. Make a plan to communicate about and keep up to date with members exposure to/contraction of coronavirus.
  1. Students should use OrgCentral to require RSVPs for your event as well as for tracking participants. For more information on how to use OrgCentral, visit our OrgCentral Management page under OrgCentral Event/Meeting Assistance.
  2. If someone from your group does test positive and believes their exposure happened before the rehearsal report the exposure using the COVID-19 referral forms on the Student Affairs website
  3. You can learn more about the contact tracing process and when to self-report here
Theatre
1. All blocking would be directed to the actors using desks and chairs within the classrooms that would be cleaned before and after use.
  1. See All rehearsals for cleaning guidelines
2. No physical activity would be blocked apart from sitting, standing, or walking.
  1. Blocking is defined as any movement or action by the actor(s)
  2. Actors will never come within 6 ft of each other
  3. The directing staff would remain socially distant from the actors during the rehearsal.
3. Musicians associated with the show should adhere to the following guidelines
  1. No sharing of wind and brass instruments or other materials such as sheet music
  2. For instruments that must be shared (ie: piano, timpani, etc.) the instrument surfaces must be disinfected before and after use
  3. Spit-valves must not be drained on to floors. Drain either into a closeable container that has disinfectant in it to neutralize pathogens, or onto a puppy-pad type absorbent with a nonporous backing.  Spit containers should be emptied in a sink.  It is imperative that wind players wash their hands thoroughly immediately after each practice session, lesson, and rehearsal.
  4. Mask wearing and hand/face hygiene are paramount.  There must be no talking without a mask. For wind and brass players, when possible a mask with interwoven layers that can open to a small slit for mouthpiece access should be worn while playing.  In instrument groups where a mask cannot be physically worn while playing, the mask must be worn over the chin and replaced during periods when the student is not playing.   
    1. Note: if using the specialist wind-player mask, a bell cover must be used in addition. Students required to wear specialist masks (music, theatre etc) must be wearing the specialist mask immediately prior to entering the building. The specialist mask must be removed immediately after leaving the building, maintaining at least 6ft distance from other people. The specialist mask must not be worn outside of a lesson, rehearsal, or performance.
  5. Where possible, bell coverings of wind and brass instruments with a pop filter consisting of at least two layers of a minimum 50 denier hose, or 80 denier single layer hose on a wire loop are required.  An example for Trombone can be seen here: https://youtu.be/0s5kAgBAhAk   
  6. To avoid cross-contamination, cleaning of wind/brass instruments must take place in a different area from instruction/performance.
A Cappella
1. A minimum of 9ft distance must be maintained between all singers at all times
2. Singers should be facing in the same direction, standing in straight lines. No curved or circle formations. All singers should be on the floor level, no risers.
3. Singers are required to wear two masks during rehearsals and performances
4. Consider rehearsing in quartets or smaller ensembles to minimize exposure. This will also make it easier to find a room as you will need to adjust the COVID capacity listed for a room to accommodate for a 9 ft distance as opposed to the 6 ft that was used to identify the COVID capacity.
  1. If you meet in-person in small groups keep those SAME SMALL groups all semester so that you are exposing yourself to as few people as possible
5. Guidelines for singers were sourced from the following
  1. 2020. COVID-19 Guidance For Singing Or Yelling. [ebook] Delaware Health and Public Services Division of Public Health. Available at: <https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/177/2020/06/Guidance_Singing_Vocalization_Yelling_6.18.20-update.pdf> [Accessed 31 July 2020].
  2. Weaver, J., Spede, M., Miller, S. and Srebric, J., 2020. International Coalition Performing Arts Aerosol Study. [ebook] Available at: <https://www.nfhs.org/articles/performing-arts-covid-19-resources/> [Accessed 31 July 2020].
  3. 2020. COVID-19 Guidelines For Vocalists And Instrumentalists. [ebook] Manitoba: Government of Manitoba. Available at: <https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/covid/restoring-vocalists-instrumentalists.pdf> [Accessed 31 July 2020].
  4. Marshall, A., 2020. When Will It Be Safe to Sing Together Again?. The New York Times, [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/arts/music/choirs-singing-coronavirus-safe.html> [Accessed 31 July 2020].
Dance
1. Single person in-person rehearsals permissible in this phase

Phase 3: Music and performing arts organizations can perform with limited audiences in a manner consistent with public health requirements.

General Guidelines for All Rehearsals
1. Request to rehearse must be approved through student affairs
  1. Approval form
  2. Student Organizations can reserve space in the following locations: the HUB-Robeson Center, Schwab Auditorium, Pasquerilla, Thomas, and Forum
2. All vocal and wind instrument rehearsals must be kept to 30 minutes with 30 minutes minimum in between
  1. All other rehearsals can be 45 minutes on with 30 minutes in between
3. The rehearsal space should be sanitized using cleaning materials before and after use
  1. Suggested cleaning supplies can be found here
  2. Please be advised that pianos require special detergents. The School of Music recommends, Lysol Clean and Fresh $1 concentrate at the Dollar Store
4. Don’t share materials
5. All members will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after rehearsals
6. Have members fill out the COVID symptom checker on Penn State Go
7. Make a plan to communicate about and keep up to date with members exposure to/contraction of coronavirus
  1. Students should use OrgCentral to require RSVPs for your event as well as for tracking participants. For more information on how to use OrgCentral, visit our OrgCentral Management page under OrgCentral Event/Meeting Assistance.
  2. If someone from your group does test positive and believes their exposure happened before the rehearsal report the exposure using the COVID-19 referral forms on the Student Affairs website
  3. You can learn more about the contact tracing process and when to self-report here
Theatre
1. All blocking would be directed to the actors using desks and chairs within the classrooms that would be cleaned before and after use.
  1. See All rehearsals for cleaning guidelines
2. No physical activity would be blocked apart from sitting, standing, or walking.
  1. Blocking is defined as any movement or action by the actor(s)
  2. Actors will never come within 6 ft of each other
  3. The directing staff would remain socially distant from the actors during the rehearsal.
3. Singing rehearsals specific to a show should follow A Cappella guidelines
4. Dance rehearsals specific to the show should follow Dance guidelines
5. Musicians associated with the show should adhere to the following guidelines
  1. No sharing of wind and brass instruments or other materials such as sheet music
  2. For instruments that must be shared (ie: piano, timpani, etc.) the instrument surfaces must be disinfected before and after use
  3. Spit-valves must not be drained on to floors. Drain either into a closeable container that has disinfectant in it to neutralize pathogens, or onto a puppy-pad type absorbent with a nonporous backing.  Spit containers should be emptied in a sink.  It is imperative that wind players wash their hands thoroughly immediately after each practice session, lesson, and rehearsal.
  4. Mask wearing and hand/face hygiene are paramount.  There must be no talking without a mask. For wind and brass players, when possible a mask with interwoven layers that can open to a small slit for mouthpiece access should be worn while playing.  In instrument groups where a mask cannot be physically worn while playing, the mask must be worn over the chin and replaced during periods when the student is not playing.   
    1. Note: if using the specialist wind-player mask, a bell cover must be used in addition. Students required to wear specialist masks (music, theatre etc) must be wearing the specialist mask immediately prior to entering the building. The specialist mask must be removed immediately after leaving the building, maintaining at least 6ft distance from other people. The specialist mask must not be worn outside of a lesson, rehearsal, or performance.
  5. Where possible, bell coverings of wind and brass instruments with a pop filter consisting of at least two layers of a minimum 50 denier hose, or 80 denier single layer hose on a wire loop are required.  An example for Trombone can be seen here: https://youtu.be/0s5kAgBAhAk   
  6. To avoid cross-contamination, cleaning of wind/brass instruments must take place in a different area from instruction/performance.
A Capella
1. A minimum of 9ft distance must be maintained between all singers at all times
2. Singers should be facing in the same direction, standing in straight lines. No curved or circle formations. All singers should be on the floor level, no risers.
3. Singers are required to wear two masks during rehearsals and performances
4. Consider rehearsing in quartets or smaller ensembles to minimize exposure. This will also make it easier to find a room as you will need to adjust the COVID capacity listed for a room to accommodate for a 9 ft distance as opposed to the 6 ft that was used to identify the COVID capacity.
  1. If you meet in-person in small groups keep those SAME SMALL groups all semester so that you are exposing yourself to as few people as possible
Dance
1. While 6 ft is the general guideline it should be increased to 12 ft for physical activity including dance
2. Masks are required at all times
  1. A mask will make it harder to breathe during exercise initially and dancers should self-monitor for symptoms of: lightheadedness, dizziness, numbness or tingling, and shortness of breath
    1. Your body will adapt over a few weeks to wearing a mask
    2. If you start to feel dizzy, imbalanced, or over fatigued stop your activity and rest
  2. Do your best not to remove your mask during rehearsal.
    1. If you do need to remove your mask, leave the room or increase your distance from others to 15 ft, and replace your mask before returning to the rehearsal.
      1. Dispose of single use masks in the trash or place a reusable mask into its own sealable bag, wash your hands and/or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer letting it dry for 30 seconds and then replace it with a clean one.
    2. If your mask becomes saturated with moisture from breathing or sweat you need to change into a dry mask.
      1. A wet mask is less efficient at filtering bacteria and viruses
3. Minimize changes in small group participants
4. Activities that require direct or indirect contact including: partnering, tactile cueing, direct floor work, touching the same equipment or travelling across the floor should be kept to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM
5. Guidelines for dancers were sourced from Dance USA’s Task Force for Dancer Health.
  1. Bower, K., Southwick, H. and Shah, S., 2020. Return To Dancing And Training Considerations Due To COVID-19. [ebook] The Dance USA Task Force on Dancer Health. Available at: <https://dance-usa.s3.amazonaws.com/page_uploads/UPDATED%20COVID%20PAPER%20-%20MAY%202020%20-%20PDF.pdf> [Accessed 30 July 2020]
  2. Southwick, H., Shah, S., Bower, K. and Davenport, K., 2020. COVID-19 FAQ For Dancers And Dance Companies Returning To The Studios. 2nd ed. [ebook] Dance USA Task Force on Dancer Health. Available at: <https://dance-usa.s3.amazonaws.com/page_uploads/COVID-19%20FAQ%20-%20July%202020%20Update%20-%20PDF.pdf> [Accessed 30 July 2020].

Phase 4: All genres can hold group rehearsals and performances

General Guidelines for All Rehearsals
1. All in-person activities will be required to follow masking, distancing, and occupancy mandates. Groups must keep track of participants. Meetings and events must be approved by designated staff and spot-checking will occur to ensure compliance
2. All vocal and wind instrument rehearsals must be kept to 30 minutes with 30 minutes minimum in between
  1. All other rehearsals can be 45 minutes on with 30 minutes in between
3. The rehearsal space should be sanitized using cleaning materials before and after use
  1. Suggested cleaning supplies can be found here
  2. Please be advised that pianos require special detergents. The School of Music recommends, Lysol Clean and Fresh $1 concentrate at the Dollar Store
4. Don’t share materials
5. All members will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after rehearsals
6. Have members fill out the COVID symptom checker on Penn State Go
7. Make a plan to communicate about and keep up to date with members exposure to/contraction of coronavirus
  1. Students should use OrgCentral to require RSVPs for your event as well as for tracking participants. For more information on how to use OrgCentral, visit our OrgCentral Management page under OrgCentral Event/Meeting Assistance.
  2. If someone from your group does test positive and believes their exposure happened before the rehearsal report the exposure using the COVID-19 referral forms on the Student Affairs website
  3. You can learn more about the contact tracing process and when to self-report here
Theatre
1. All blocking would be directed to the actors using desks and chairs within the classrooms that would be cleaned before and after use.
  1. See All rehearsals for cleaning guidelines
2. No physical activity would be blocked apart from sitting, standing, or walking.
  1. Blocking is defined as any movement or action by the actor(s)
  2. Actors will never come within 6 ft of each other
  3. The directing staff would remain socially distant from the actors during the rehearsal.
3. Singing rehearsals specific to a show should follow A Cappella guidelines
4. Dance rehearsals specific to the show should follow Dance guidelines
5. Musicians associated with the show should adhere to the following guidelines
  1. No sharing of wind and brass instruments or other materials such as sheet music
  2. For instruments that must be shared (ie: piano, timpani, etc.) the instrument surfaces must be disinfected before and after use
  3. Spit-valves must not be drained on to floors. Drain either into a closeable container that has disinfectant in it to neutralize pathogens, or onto a puppy-pad type absorbent with a nonporous backing.  Spit containers should be emptied in a sink.  It is imperative that wind players wash their hands thoroughly immediately after each practice session, lesson, and rehearsal.
  4. Mask wearing and hand/face hygiene are paramount.  There must be no talking without a mask. For wind and brass players, when possible a mask with interwoven layers that can open to a small slit for mouthpiece access should be worn while playing.  In instrument groups where a mask cannot be physically worn while playing, the mask must be worn over the chin and replaced during periods when the student is not playing.   
    1. Note: if using the specialist wind-player mask, a bell cover must be used in addition. Students required to wear specialist masks (music, theatre etc) must be wearing the specialist mask immediately prior to entering the building. The specialist mask must be removed immediately after leaving the building, maintaining at least 6ft distance from other people. The specialist mask must not be worn outside of a lesson, rehearsal, or performance.
  5. Where possible, bell coverings of wind and brass instruments with a pop filter consisting of at least two layers of a minimum 50 denier hose, or 80 denier single layer hose on a wire loop are required.  An example for Trombone can be seen here: https://youtu.be/0s5kAgBAhAk   
  6. To avoid cross-contamination, cleaning of wind/brass instruments must take place in a different area from instruction/performance.
A Cappella
1. A minimum of 9 ft distance must be maintained between all singers at all times
2. Singers should also face away from each other / face the same direction (no singing in a circle)
3. Singers are required to wear two masks during rehearsals and performances
4. Consider rehearsing in quartets or smaller ensembles to minimize exposure. This will also make it easier to find a room as you will need to adjust the COVID capacity listed for a room to accommodate for a 9 ft distance as opposed to the 6 ft that was used to identify the COVID capacity.
  1. If you meet in-person in small groups keep those SAME SMALL groups all semester so that you are exposing yourself to as few people as possible
Dance
1. While 6 ft is the general guideline it should be increased to 12 ft for physical activity including dance
2. Masks are required at all times
  1. A mask will make it harder to breathe during exercise initially and dancers should self-monitor for symptoms of: lightheadedness, dizziness, numbness or tingling, and shortness of breath
    1. Your body will adapt over a few weeks to wearing a mask
    2. If you start to feel dizzy, imbalanced, or over fatigued stop your activity and rest
  2. Do your best not to remove your mask during rehearsal.
    1. If you do need to remove your mask, leave the room or increase your distance from others to 15 ft, and replace your mask before returning to the rehearsal.
      1. Dispose of single use masks in the trash or place a reusable mask into its own sealable bag, wash your hands and/or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer letting it dry for 30 seconds and then replace it with a clean one.
    2. If your mask becomes saturated with moisture from breathing or sweat you need to change into a dry mask.
      1. A wet mask is less efficient at filtering bacteria and viruses
3. Minimize changes in small group participants
4. Activities that require direct or indirect contact including: partnering, tactile cueing, direct floor work, touching the same equipment or travelling across the floor should be kept to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM

Check-out this PDF for more information and resources

performing_arts_covid-19_guidance_2020.07.16_5___1_.pdf
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In-person Rehearsals