TORONTO -- The Wenatchee High School band has managed to find a workaround to the problem of practising while maintaining proper physical distance: band members are carrying out in-person practices enclosed in individual green tents.

The Washington State school’s principal, Eric Anderson, said they wanted to find a way for students to safely practise music together after in-person teaching resumed in January following months of remote learning.

“Our music and our theatre teachers started to collaborate with our local community theatre to try to figure out how to make that happen,” he told CTV’s News Channel Friday.

The solution was lightweight tents that give the band an unusual look when playing. Band members have their instrument and sheet music in the tent with them and are visible through clear plastic sheeting on the front.

Anderson said the school felt in-person practice would be better for the social and emotional health of the students than simply having students play remotely by video conference.

“Arts are such a big part of students’ lives we wanted to make sure they had the ability to play together, to see each other play, to hear each other play, and to be part of something bigger than just them performing individually,” he said.