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Academics 

The Peabody Preparatory will be following robust health and safety protocols as detailed below.  

For all students

• Masking for Preparatory private, group, and ensemble instruction, and public performances will be optional for those who are fully vaccinated and boosted over the age of 12, fully vaccinated over the age of 5, and students under the age of 5.
• Those Preparatory students who have been granted exceptions from the vaccination mandate will still be required to wear masks indoors. 
  • Approved masks include N95, KN95, or KF94 masks (or a combination of a surgical and cloth mask).
• All eligible onsite Peabody Preparatory students 5 and older will now be required to get either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID primary vaccination series. More information from the CDC. A separate email communication will be sent for each individual registered Preparatory student to the primary ASAP account holder with verification instructions immediately following this email. All eligible students 5 and older MUST be vaccinated by February 15 or have received an approved exception to continue with in-person instruction. If you do not submit your vaccine verification or haven’t received confirmation of your approved exception, you are required to remain online for lessons and group classes.
• All Preparatory students 6-months and older, including adult students, are required to be vaccinated against the flu to continue to study in person at ANY Preparatory campus.
• All eligible onsite Peabody Preparatory students 12 and older will now be required to get either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID booster shot when they become eligible (at least 5 months after the primary vaccination series). More information from the CDC. A separate email communication will be sent for each individual registered student to the primary ASAP account holder with details on booster verification early in March.

For students under the age of 5 AND vaccinated students 5 years and older: 

Private Instruction 

Private lessons for Keyboard, Strings, Harp, Guitar, and Percussion 

• Room air exchanges between lessons are no longer required.

Private lessons for Winds, Brass, and Voice  

• Students will maintain a 6 ft (7.5 ft on-center) social distance between teacher (and/or accompanist) and student. 
• Practice water key etiquette.  Drape water valve and collect condensate in towel or WindSorb. Disinfect towel/WindSorb after use. 
• Lessons of no more than 60 minutes. 
• Room air exchanges between lessons are no longer required. 

Ensemble Classes 

Instrumental Ensembles, Repertoire, and Studio Classes  

• Social distancing of 3 ft (4.5 ft on-center) for wind and brass  
  Students who are unvaccinated due to an approved vaccine exemption will need to maintain social distancing of 6 ft (7.5ft on-center)  
• Practice water key etiquette.  Drape water valve and collect condensate in towel or WindSorb. Disinfect towel/WindSorb after use. 
• Ensembles may rehearse for their normal class length 
• Following a rehearsal that includes winds or brass the room will be left vacant to allow for a minimum of 3 air exchanges.   

Choral Ensembles 

• Social distancing no longer required 
• Ensembles may rehearse for their normal class length 
• Following rehearsal, the room will be left vacant to allow for a minimum of 3 air exchanges.    

Dance classes 

• Social distancing will no longer required and dancing in close proximity including contact during dancing is now permitted 
• Classes may meet for their normal class length 
• Room air exchanges between classes are no longer required 

For unvaccinated students 5 years and older granted an exemption:  

Private Instruction 

Private lessons for Keyboard, Strings, Harp, Guitar, and Percussion 

• Masking and distancing of 6 ft (7.5ft on-center) required for all participants 
• Room air exchanges between lessons are no longer required  

Private lessons for wind, brass, and voice 

• Students required to remain online or utilize low-latency rooms when available. Access to low-latency rooms is only available on Saturdays at the Downtown campus. 

Ensemble Classes 

Instrumental Ensembles, Repertoire, and Studio Classes 

• Masking required for all individuals. Woodwinds and Brass students will wear a mask while playing which includes a small straight slit in a surgical style mask, or commercially available masks for this purpose.  This mask is for playing, not general use outside of rehearsal.   
• Bell covers and instrument bags will be required for brass and woodwind instruments.  
• Social distancing of 6 ft (7.5ft on-center) for wind and brass  
• Practice water key etiquette.  Drape water valve and collect condensate in towel or WindSorb. Disinfect towel/WindSorb after use. 
• Ensembles may rehearse for their normal class length 
• Following a rehearsal that includes winds or brass the room will be left vacant to allow for a minimum of 3 air exchanges.   

Choral Ensembles 

• Masking for all individuals at all times 
• Social distancing of 6 ft (7.5ft on-center) 
• Ensembles may rehearse for their normal class length 
• Following rehearsal, the room will be left vacant to allow for a minimum of 3 air exchanges.   

Dance classes 

• Masking required for all individuals at all times, including while dancing 
• Social distancing of 6 ft (7.5ft on-center) 
• Classes may meet for their normal class length 
• Room air exchanges between classes are no longer required 

Preparatory parents/guardians

• Preparatory parents/guardians are permitted to return to campus, however, all are expected to follow all university mandates regarding guests on campus (see FAQ’s). We are also strongly recommending that only one parent or guardian come to campus to help limit the number of outside guests on campus.
• Campus guests older than 5 years old who will be inside campus-operated buildings in the U.S. are expected to comply with university COVID vaccination requirements already in place for our affiliates. Details of those requirements and how they apply to campus guests are available on the vaccination page of the coronavirus information website.
• Given the limited space available to wait for lessons and classes, you may drop your student off or for younger students walk your student to their lesson or class, however, no waiting in the hallways will be permitted on any campus.
• For classes where younger students are accompanied by a parent in the classroom, we are requesting that only vaccinated parents participate as the in-class or in-lesson parent.

Audiences

All performances are now open to the general public and hall capacities limitations have been lifted. Masks are required for audience members at Peabody concerts.

Return to Campus

JHU Affiliate Preparatory Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Students will follow the return to campus guidelines set forth by JHU for campus access including all testing, contact tracing, and containment protocols.

COVID-19 Testing and Positive Test results 

Faculty/Staff Testing and Positive Test Results: Faculty and Staff will follow all JHU testing, reporting, quarantining, and return to work protocols regarding positive test results.

• Response to positive Faculty/Staff COVID-19 case:
  • Preparatory staff will work to contact students regarding a positive test result.
  • Parents/Guardians of students will be informed of a potential exposure to a positive COVID case.

Preparatory students who test positive

• Preparatory students who test positive are excluded from in-person activities for at least 5 days after first symptoms (or, if they are asymptomatic, after a positive test) until they are free of symptoms, they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and they receive negative test results from an antigen/lateral flow (‘home’) test (if available, recognizing that these are currently hard to find).

If your child feels sick, please stay home

• If your child has any COVID or flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle or body aches, coughing, congestion or a runny nose, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, or fatigue, do not come to campus. We were seeing students reporting for lessons last semester with symptoms that they assume were “just a cold,” which understandably causes concern for our faculty and fellow students and families. Given the current situation with omicron, your child’s teacher will, with the Preparatory’s full support, immediately send your child home.
• Given each faculty’s individual on-campus teaching set up, it may not be feasible to switch to a virtual lesson with limited notice, however, please discuss options with your faculty to allow students to stay home when they feel sick. We do not want students with symptoms or who may have been exposed to the virus to come to campus.

Peabody Preparatory Guidance for Applied Instruction

For instrument-specific guidance around studio lessons and ensemble classes, please read the Preparatory’s detailed return-to-campus guidance for applied instruction at peabody.jhu.edu/PrepCampusGuidance. These protocols have been developed with input from the university’s leading health experts to ensure the safety of our community.