By: Lydia Simmons / Staff Writer
In these uncertain times of Covid-19 many things have changed. People have had to find ways to adapt under the circumstances that come with a global pandemic. For USM student Emma Page adapting meant performing her senior recital from home and live streaming it for an audience that otherwise may not have been able to experience the performance. As a Music Education major Page, in order to graduate with her degree, was required to perform a senior recital to encapsulate all she had learned. With her voice as her applied instrument she performed a collection of songs accompanied by her roommates who performed with her as her band.
Being involved in a major that includes performing with other people, students and professors have experienced difficulty due to the restrictions and guidelines set in place because of the pandemic. Unable to function in a normal fashion led to the cancelation of events pertaining to the majors including concerts and the rescheduling of Page’s senior recital. When referring to the changes that had to be made pertaining to Covid-19 restrictions Page said, “It was a big deal because all of a sudden we couldn’t really do anything that we were doing before.”
When making the decision Page had to consider the fact that no non-students are allowed on campus at the moment. Page’s band was composed of her roommates who had already graduated so in order to perform her recital she had to improvise, opting for a more personal setting, her living room. When talking about the home performance Page stated, “One good thing that came out of the whole situation was that because we got to have the recital at home it was comfortable.” Rehearsing after dinner in the evenings the group prepared for Page’s recital together with Page at the head of the operation, working hard to prepare for the occasion and making sure everything went smoothly.
By setting up a YouTube live stream and hosting a Facebook event for the performance, Page was able to make her performance accessible to a larger audience, including her parents and loved ones who were able to watch the recital in real time even though they were far away. The power of technology helped make the unique senior recital proceed as a successful one. Taking the situation that she was given, Page was able to perform an amazing senior recital that people were able to enjoy in a time when we can take as much positivity as we can get. Looking to the future there is hope that we can follow suit and make the most of our own situations in this unsure time just as Page has done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMjssCgaGZU&ab_channel=EmmaPage