Covid Vaccine 1

It has been a long year of staying inside and hiding from the world, but it seems that time is slowly being halted. Today, I got my first of two covid vaccines and my nurse, Carla, could not have been nicer. Before we began, I told her I wasn’t a huge fan of vaccines. . .she laughed as she looked at the six visible tattoos on my arms and let me know that she would talk me through it. I asked her if it would be okay to take a picture, so the pharmacist came over and obliged. ​

To say that I am ready for the pandemic to begin slowing down is an understatement. I am grateful to be at UIUC, the home of all things innovative because we have been able to sing together since the fall semester this year. Sure the rehearsals are abbreviated and we don’t stand very close to each other, but we are singing! This kind of activity would not be possible without the twice-a-week testing schedule that we keep and the fact that we are able to receive our vaccines on campus. We are all keeping each other as safe as we can because we value the ability to make music together and we are desperately aware of the need for this kind of connection after the year that we have all battled with. 

In my next blog, I’ll chat with some of the members of the UIUC Chamber Singers as well as the director, Dr. Andrew Megill. Getting through COVID-19 without this group of singers would have been a lot more challenging. I am happy to be able to make music with my friends and proud to be at UIUC, the place where things happen!

Miranda (M.R.) Rowland
2nd year PhD student, music education