2021 Lycoming College Summer Magazine

This is why he enjoys rehearsing so much. The lights and stress of performing can get in the way, so it’s these moments when the students are focused on learning something together as a team when he says the real magic happens. “Everybody's bringing their set and sacrificing for one another in order to create this bigger thing than all of us. When the students realize they’re successful, that’s what is most satisfying.” The COVID-19 pandemic required him to reimagine rehearsals during the academic year. The biggest challenge was motivation. “Trying to convince students that even though it's a substandard situation, it doesn't have to yield a substandard experience or product. I love adversity, it stimulates my creativity, so I had to treat everything like it was extra special, to present us with a great opportunity to conquer this challenge.” “The human part of what I do is just as important as the technical, musical stuff,” he continued. “Music making is just as much about the human interaction. To have gone without music making? That’s not good for the soul, and would have further diminished our social interactions and been detrimental in ways we probably don't even know. It’s fortunate that we were able to find solutions and make adjustments throughout the year so that music could still happen.” He explained that fear, disappointment, sadness, loss, and uncertainty were all variables he and his students had to endure, so he tried to keep a loose enough rehearsal so that they could be real and share with one another, but also remain focused. “I didn’t tone down the difficulty of our music, and that helped with a feeling of normalcy as well.” For the fall semester, getting a tent set up on the Upper Quad that could provide shelter from the elements and safely accommodate socially-distanced rehearsals for the band, choir, and Community Orchestra was critical, and the College made that happen. “We rehearsed more than we normally would for shorter periods of time so that we didn't risk being in the cold weather, and I think it all turned out nicely,” he commented. The spring semester allowed for indoor rehearsals, but not without additional troubleshooting. “I divided the first part of the semester into sectionals, so we weren’t rehearsing with a large group. We used bell covers and kept our distance, and I directed from a ladder.” Ciabattari is incredibly grateful for the support of the College so that his department could provide the means for creating music during a global pandemic. “The students are so thankful that they still had a meaningful music experience this year,” shared Ciabattari. Musical performances, including ensemble concerts and senior recitals, were recorded throughout the year and can be viewed by visiting the Lycoming College Music Department’s Facebook page and YouTube’s Music at Lycoming channel. 27 www.lycoming.edu