News of the week of March 17, 2020

Meeting report

We played:

• New 22nd, Salzburg
• Mauduit, Voici le vert et beau mai
• Byrd, While that the sunne
• Senfl, Im Mayen

Schedule

We continue to meet Tuesdays at 7:45pm, at 233 Broadway,
Cambridge.

Those who get information about this group by email already
know that the Walk for
Hunger has been cancelled this year. So we are not working on
that program. Please consider contributing to the cause of
alleviating hunger in some other way.

Covid-19 Statement

Some people have not only decided that it doesn’t make sense
for them personally to come, but that they are upset that the
invitation is still open. I would like to explain the reasoning
behind this.

It is not a public gathering of more than 10 people. It is
family and friends meeting to share music. Over the almost 20
years we have been meeting, we have been a major support system
for many of our members who do not currently have biological
family to fill this function for them. Currently, one person is
living here because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and
another has been staying over on a weekly basis and using
my computer several times a week. Anyone who’s been coming
regularly has been eating and drinking here as well as playing
music on a weekly basis. I know we can count on everyone to not
come if they are having symptoms, and one member has not
come since someone in his work group has tested positive.

So I think having the meetings is less dangerous than going to
the pharmacy or the grocery store, and maybe not much more
dangerous than walking the dog. Other people will
make different decisions, and I expect the meetings to be
relatively small until this situation changes.

So if you feel like a member of this family, and share my
evaluation that coming is not increasing your danger or the danger
to anyone else, you are welcome to come.

There are also people who don’t feel they should come who have
offered to help set up some kind of system for participating
remotely. I don’t want to do this work during a regular meeting,
and I think most of us have other projects that we’re using this
enforced free time for, but I’m sure we’ll get to doing some
experiments soon. If you’d like to be part of the experiments,
let me know.

And our cleaning routine has been expanded to include
disinfecting doorknobs, etc. If you want to personally wipe
anything down before and/or after you use it, there are various fluids
available for that purpose.