INDEPENDENT VOICES Saturday Song Share: A Virtual Gathering Place in the COVID Crisis by Cynthia Vaughn
M
arch 2020. The month that
Collins, to bring me a weighted
everything as we know
action 88-key keyboard and
changed. Everyone has their
speakers that his church was
story and this is mine: how an
not using because the churches
hour a week of community kept
had also been shut down. I had
me going during a pandemic and
packed my other electronics
family crisis.
in my luggage, including my MacBook, two iPads, a Blue Yeti
My father, 80, passed away
USB mic, and a ring light I had
unexpectedly of heart failure
purchased but never used. I
on Monday March 16 at home
took the weekend to set up my
in the Colorado mountains. The
temporary studio and I started
next day, my mother, 80, who
teaching remotely from Colorado
lives in Denver was hospitalized
the very next week. My primary
for a previous health condition.
job was taking care of mom, so I
She was treated and was due
limited my teaching to three hours
to be released on Wednesday, March 18. The hospital needed beds for COVID patients, and the
a day, three days a week. My Studio in mom’s bedroom March 23, 2020
recommendation was for Mom to go to a nursing home rehabilitation center. This was very early in the corona virus outbreak and we didn’t know very much,
students were very understanding and several of them were facing
severe challenges of their own with jobs, family, illness, and teaching children at home. Twelve of my students opted to
however we knew that nursing homes were being devastated
end their Winter semester lessons early and wait to return in-
by this novel virus. My mom and my sisters and I needed to
person. That self-selection left me with a manageable teaching
make a decision—quick! Options were discussed, including
load of 15–18 thirty-minute lessons. I had four days a week to
moving mom a couple of hours away to my sister’s house that
focus entirely on mom and take her for medical procedures,
would need to be made handicapped accessible (in one day?!)
doing studio administration late at night after Mom was asleep.
and mom wouldn’t be able to bring her cat. My heart and my
Three days a week we had a comfortable work-day routine.
mind became quiet and focused . . . then I had an epiphany,
Teaching 10–11am and 1–3pm Mountain time allowed time for
“Wait! Wait! I will come to mom’s house and take care of her.
me to cook and eat meals with mom and spend our evenings
The governor of Washington just shut down my music studio, so
reading and watching TV and, when she was stronger, playing
I can teach from anywhere.” So, on Thursday, March 19 I took
endless games of gin rummy. She always won! She even let
a direct flight one-way from Tri-Cities Washington to Denver,
me post Facebook photos of her big gray cat that I nick-named
Colorado. I was one of six passengers (masked, gloved, and
“Church Cat” because he likes watching live-streamed church
distanced) on the plane. With the blessing of my husband back
services on Sundays.
in Washington, I stayed with my mother in Colorado from March 19- June 4 until she was able to be on her own. It was a very special time that I will always treasure.
Everything was working well and there was a remarkable synchronicity in the whole situation. But I missed my students. . . . and I missed the performances that had been
Before I boarded that one-way flight to Colorado, I reached
cancelled. . . . .and I felt isolated in my tiny make-shift bedroom
out to local Denver friends, asking if anyone had a keyboard I
studio. So, Saturday March 28 I decided to test my new Zoom
could borrow to set up a temporary voice studio in my mom’s
software pro-account and invite students, teachers and friends
guest bedroom. Within hours, I had several offers and accepted
to a free noontime Pacific time “Saturday Vocal Performance
an offer from Jeff Kadavy, the former President of Opera Fort
Class.” Six people showed up and it filled me with surprising
20 INTER NOS | FALL 2020
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