Dear YSM community,
Thank you for helping us ensure that we can continue to make music together. In light of the University’s recent COVID-19 alert-level change from yellow to green, I write to share updates about what this shift means for our activities at the School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music.It is important to note that since the beginning of the fall semester, the School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music have operated with fewer restrictions on in-person music-making than other units of the University; the University’s COVID Review Team continues to work closely with us to craft custom protocols that balance the widest possible range of curricular music-making with appropriate precautions.
Policies that remain unchanged:
The School of Music will continue to observe all existing University and YSM COVID policies and best practices, including:
Masking
- Masking continues to be required for all indoor activities.
- Weekly testing continues to be required for all YSM/ISM students.
- Although the University’s updated Events, Gatherings, and Meetings policy now allows increased audience sizes for performing arts events, the risk of transmitting infection within large gatherings, and by extension, throughout sectors of the Yale community, is still elevated. Because our top priority is ensuring that YSM curricular activities continue without COVID-related pauses or disruptions, audiences for YSM events will continue to be limited predominantly to members of the YSM/ISM community through at least the end of the fall semester.
Permissions that have been expanded:
We are delighted to share the good news that we can make the following small but significant activity expansions. Additionally, we continue to actively advocate for other expanded permissions with the University’s COVID Review Team, and we will keep you informed about any developments.
Degree recitalists can invite up to four non-YSM/ISM guests:
- Your degree recital is an important event, and we recognize that you may want key people to be there with you. Each degree recitalist may have up to four in-person guests (family or close friends) from outside the YSM/ISM at their degree recital; these guests can be from other parts of Yale or they can be completely external.
- These authorized guests are allowed to attend degree recitals but not required or informal recitals.
- Any guest must be fully vaccinated; the recitalist must ask each guest to complete a vaccination attestation. The YSM Concert Office will send forms and instructions to each recitalist.
- Please note that University policies do not yet allow guests under the age of 12.
- We ask degree recitalists to exercise this permission sparingly and with sober consideration of the risks; only invite outside guests whose attendance is critically important (i.e. parents, spouse, relative older than 12, best friend, etc).
Fully-vaccinated YSM/ISM spouses can attend all YSM/ISM concerts:
- YSM/ISM faculty and staff: please email Krista Johnson at least three business days prior to the first event that your spouse will attend.
- YSM students: to attend concerts, your spouse must have a Yale ID, which can be requested from Director of Student Services Suzanne Stringer.
- Attendance is free, and spouses/partners do not need to request tickets in advance; they should check in with an attendant when they arrive.
- YSM/ISM faculty members can now invite fully-vaccinated outside guest instructors to visit Yale for master classes or similar activities.
- Faculty, please confer with Krista Johnson (YSM) or Laura Adam (ISM) at least two weeks prior to the session to complete the necessary steps for bringing these visitors to campus.
I want to thank each of you for your patience and understanding as conditions continue to unfold. Your cooperative and collective efforts continue to help maintain a safe environment for your activities, and we appreciate the sense of responsibility and support that you have demonstrated to one another.
Robert Blocker
Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music