PINE BLUFF, Ark — For the second year in a row, bands in Arkansas are having to march to a different beat.
Marching season for the Watson Chapel band is beginning much like it did last school year.
Allen Wimberly is the head band director and he said this year he only has 20 students.
"We are trying to keep the kids, when they are not playing their horns, we ask them to put their masks on and some do and some don't," Wimberly said.
He is used to a number close to 60, so he said things like making sure students are safely keeping a distance between each other should not be hard.
"We are not going to wear those little things over our bells anymore, but we are not going to be right on top of each other on the field. We are going to try to keep at least three steps away from each other," Wimberly said.
Because cases are high in Arkansas, he said parents are feeling less confident about having their children in band.
It is something he understands because he recently battled COVID, cancer, and tumors in his lungs.
"A lot of kids are not in the band program and parents are scared to put them in there and I am certainly not going to blame them for that because COVID is serious," Wimberly said.
The Arkansas Department of Health released specific guidelines in August of last year for marching bands and even with the vaccine available now, health experts still encourage bands to do as little as possible inside.
"With instruments less of a concern, that's why we want to encourage that a much as possible, but even then, depending on how crowded the situation is, masks might be necessary," said Joel Tumlison with ADH.
If the distancing and masks guidelines are followed, he said the risk of an outbreak or a spread should be low.
"If band directors and the leaders will be very consistent and strict with how they are applying the measures that have been recommended, then I think it's probably not something you should be worrying about," Tumlison said.