MS Band Director

For music educators - By music educators

Sterilization procedure updates?/ h1n1 prep

I am reviewing my Band room policies about mouthpieces/school owned instrument sterilization etc. I would like to see of others handle this, esp with the Swine Flu in our area now.....

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Permalink Reply by Russ Weaver on August 16, 2009 at 8:19am

Cathy,
Spray before you play is our policy. We share no mouthpieces, except when play testing instruments as 6th graders during band camp. And there are spray bottles located throughout the room for any student who thinks there business needs to be sterilized. Without monies for new instruments and new mouthpieces, I don't believe there is any more that we can do. In fact, it is much more the case for everyone owning their own instruments.
In tightening down for h1n1, I would be interested in what folks are really doing because I believe that, as band directors, we do a great job at keeping the germ thing to a minimum. Always looking for new policies and techniques. I know some directors use buckets of alcohol to store brass mouthpieces and recorders in. I don't care for liquids in the room, so spraying and playing works better for me.

thoughts,

Russ

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Permalink Reply by Allison S. Lund on October 20, 2009 at 8:12pm

I would also like to know how directors determine if an instrument is broken without playing it? I try to make the student show me the instrument is broken by playing it for me, but my beginners just started this week (an after school program.) A student bought an instrument off craigslist and asked if I would test it for her. I sprayed it like crazy and now here I am the following day with a cold. I'm not fully back from maternity leave, so this was my only student contact yesterday. I KNOW i got sick from playing her flute, which turned out to be broken.

How do other directors determine if an instrument is working properly without playing it? And I have tried using my own mouthpiece, and I have still contracted a cold.

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Permalink Reply by Russ Weaver on October 20, 2009 at 8:15pm

Allison,
I swab them out with sterisol. Keep a jug on my desk. Flute push through, clarinet swab, sax neck swab, oboe feather... heck dip 'em all. Dip and go. No sense catching swine flu when a swab will take care of most things. Your own mouthpieces are a must.