MARCHING
MARCHING BAND TO SEE HOW THEY ARE FIGURING THIS THING OUT.
>> Reporter: SIX MONTHS OF
SOCIAL DISTANCING CAN TAKE A
TOLL.
TOLL.
TOLL. >>
TOLL. >> IT'S A LITTLE BIT WEIRD.
I'M LIKE A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS.
>> Reporter: BUT EVEN THE BEEP
OF A DIGITAL THERMOMETER IS
MUSIC TO THE EARS.
>> LET'S GO.
>> Reporter: OF STUDENTS IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MARCHING
BAND.
BAND.
BAND. >>
BAND. >> FIRST TIME WE'VE DONE ANY OF
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. IT'S EXCITING.
IT'S EXCITING. >> Reporter: NORMALLY AT THIS
TIME OF YEAR, BAND MEMBERS WOULD
BE TAKING THE FIELD WITH THREE
GAMES UNDER THEIR BELT, BUT THIS
YEAR THEY'RE STILL LEARNING HOW
TO PUT COVERS ON THEIR BELLS.
>> NORMALLY WE DON'T HAVE BELL
COVERS FOR THESE BAD BOYS, BUT
THIS YEAR WE HAD TO ADD THOSE
ON.
ON.
ON. WE
ON. WE ALSO HAD TO HAVE MASKS WITH
HOLES CUT IN THEM.
SO AYE GOT IT CUT OUT A LITTLE
IN THE MIDDLE.
IT GOES LIKE THIS.
.
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: PAYTON AND THE REST
OF THE BAND KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
THINKING, YES, THEY WERE
SKEPTICAL ABOUT SO-CALLED
INSTRUMENT PPE AS WELL.
BUT STUDIES DONE THIS SUMMER
SHOWING HOW EFFECTIVE COVERS CAN
BE AT CUTTING THE RISK OF
SPREADING COVID-19 WERE KEY.
>> BIG BREATH IN.
>> Reporter: IN MAKING A RETURN
TO THE FIELD POSSIBLE.
>> AS THOSE RESULTS CAME OUT,
YOU KNOW, I'D BE WATCHING AND
GRADUALLY I STARTED TO SEE,
OKAY, I THINK THERE ARE WAYS TO
DO THIS.
DO THIS.
DO THIS. AND ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WITH THE
MARCHING BAND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS
OUR CLASSROOM.
OUR CLASSROOM. WE'RE ALREADY OUTSIDE.
>> OH MY GOSH, IT'S SO GOOD TO
HAVE YOU ALL BACK ON THE FIELD.
>> Reporter: DIRECTOR BETSY SAYS
IT HAS FORCED SOME TO LEARN HOW
TO PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENTS INSIDE
A BAG?
A BAG?
A BAG? >>
A BAG? >> IT'S SO BIZARRE.
I MEAN, IT CHANGES EVERYTHING
FOR THESE PLAYERS, BUT THEY'RE
FLEXIBLE.
FLEXIBLE.
FLEXIBLE. THEY'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
>> Reporter: WHO'S GOT THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
BIGGEST CHALLENGE? >> YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR FLUTE
PLAYERS RIGHT NOW ARE FACING A
LOT.
LOT.
LOT. TO
LOT. TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLAY A
FLUTE IN A MASK.
WE HAVE SOME THINGS TO WORK OUT
THERE STILL.
THERE STILL. >> Reporter: THE SAME GOES FOR
THE ACTUAL MARCHING.
>> SO MAKE IT SNAPPY.
>> Reporter: THE SPAT CAMP
TRAINING THIS YEAR LOOKED VERY,
VERY DIFFERENT.
VERY DIFFERENT. YOU'RE TEACHING STUDENTS TO
MARCH ON A ZOOM SCREEN.
>> YES, WE ARE.
>> TRYING TO TEACH MARCHING AT
HOME IS A LITTLE BIT
INTERESTING.
INTERESTING. >> SOMEHOW IT WORKED.
WE HAD THEM IN PERSON FOR THE
FIRST DAY, AND THEY LOOKED GOOD.
>> Reporter: BUT THEY'LL NEVER
LOOK LIKE PREVIOUS YEARS BECAUSE
THE ENTIRE BAND HAS BEEN SPLIT
IN HALF, WITH TWO GROUPS
ROTATING FIELD TIME TO ENSURE
SAFE SPACING.
SAFE SPACING. >> THAT'S REALLY LIMITING IN THE
MARCHING THAT WE CAN DO.
WE CAN'T ROTATE THE BLOCK.
IT'S SO BIG WITH EVERYBODY
SPACED OUT WE WOULD BE WALKING
UP IN THE STANDS TO ROTATE THAT
THING AROUND.
THING AROUND. WE CAN'T DO THE BATTLE THIS
YEAR, BECAUSE THE STUDENTS ARE
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER.
THERE'S SOME BIG THINGS THAT
WE'RE MISSING.
WE'RE MISSING. >> Reporter: DO YOU KNOW IF
YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE
HERE FOR THE GAMES?
>> I DON'T KNOW AT ALL.
WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT OUR GAME
INVOLVEMENT AT THIS POINT.
I KNOW WE CAN DO IT SAFELY.
WE WON'T HAVE THE BAND SITTING
HERE CROWDED IN.
CERTAINLY MY COLLEAGUES IN OTHER
SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT,
BUT I DON'T KNOW -- I DON'T KNOW
WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT YET.
>> Reporter: IN THE MEANTIME,
HATS OFF TO THESE STUDENTS WHO
SEEM TO TURN EACH OBSTACLE INTO
A ROUSING CHALLENGE.
>> IT WAS JUST PURE JOY FOR ME
TO SEE THE STUDENTS PLAYING
TOGETHER AND HEAR THAT AND JUST
LIKE HAVING THAT BE KIND OF A
SYMBOL OF THE COMMUNITY WE HAVE
AND SEEING THAT BACK TOGETHER
AGAIN WAS PRETTY COOL.
>> WELCOME BACK HOME.
>> REALLY, REALLY COOL.
NOW, DIRECTOR McCANN SAYS THE
COMMUNITY THAT SHE'S REFERENCING
THERE GOES FAR BEYOND JUST THE U
OF M MARCHING BAND.
THEY'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH
HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THIS
PROCESS TO FILL THEM IN ON THE
PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES THAT
THEY'RE NOW IMPLEMENTING.
AND SHE SAYS THEY'VE LEARNED A
LOT.
LOT.
LOT. THE
LOT. THE U OF M BAND HAS ALSO LEARNED
SOMETHING FROM SOME OF THOSE
FIRST MARCHING BANDS IN HIGH
SCHOOLS THAT GAVE IT A GO THIS
SUMMER, JANA?
SUMMER, JANA? >> KENT, I KNOW THIS BAND LOVES
TO PLAY, BUT IF THEY GET TO GO,
THEY'RE STILL JUST PERFORMING
FOR AN EMPTY STADIUM PERHAPS OR
JUST THOSE FEW FANS?
I MEAN, DOES IT LOSE ITS LUSTER?
>> JANA, ARE YOU TRYING TO ASK
ME IF A MARCHING BAND PLAYS IN
AN EMPTY STADIUM, DO THEY MAKE A
SOUND?
SOUND?
SOUND? >>
SOUND? >> I MEAN, I KNEW I WAS SETTING
YOU UP FOR A DAD JOKE.
YOU'VE BEEN A DAD FOUR MONTHS
AND YOU'RE ALREADY FULL OF DAD
JOKES.
JOKES.
JOKES. >>
JOKES. >> THAT IS A CONSIDERATION.
IT IS A CONSIDERATION.
IT'S A REAL THING.
THEY OBVIOUSLY CAN HELP PEP UP
THE PLAYERS, BUT AS FAR AS THOSE
BIG PERFORMANCES THAT THEY HAVE,
IT'S GOING TO BE A BUMMER
WITHOUT FANS IN THE STANDS.
HOWEVER, SHE SAID THEY'RE GOING
TO GET MORE CREATIVE BECAUSE
THEY HAVE THE AUDIO-VISUAL TEAMS
AND THEY'RE PUTTING THIS STUFF
ONLINE, OF COURSE, ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
MEDIA.
MEDIA. SHE SAYS THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE
SOME PERFORMANCES AND BE
RETHINKING