The Juilliard trained percussionist has been giving private lessons since 1996. With stay-at-home orders in place,  she has taught in recital halls, studios, hallways, garages and elevators, but never in her backyard.

Starting the first week of March, she began holding lessons through video conferencing tools like FaceTime and Zoom, before she got the idea to hold her lessons in her backyard. As long as the Seattle weather permits she plans to continue this way, leaving a hand sanitizer pump at the student’s piano and wiping down instruments after each lesson. While the shift has been difficult, she said that “musicians are resilient and resourceful,” and years of marching in drum corps have made  Putnam “used to playing outside.”

A socially distanced piano lesson in Amy Putnam’s backyard. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Since the onset of the pandemic, many musicians have lost freelance work opportunities, with performances being cancelled. Putnam, who plays in the Tacoma Symphony, has had to cancel three of her last planned concerts. 

She suspects her colleagues are also finding new ways to stay afloat and keep working in the field that they love. While she has lost income, Putnam said she is able to continue earning a living through giving lessons, now taking every student that calls. She “doesn’t need to depend on the government for money.”

Her students range from five to 65 years old. Many are children who live in her neighborhood, taking a short bike ride to her house. She finds that students enjoy the opportunity to get out of the house, and like to play their instruments outside. While she has noticed a difference in student’s attentiveness, she noted that “they’ve adapted well.” She plans to host a series of mini backyard garden recitals where groups of students can play together, with up to three families bringing their own lawn chairs to attend, sitting at least 6 feet apart.

An umbrella shades students during their lesson. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

While the acoustic environment is “not ideal,” she finds that the joy of making music together despite the circumstance is worth it.  Putnam said that her neighbors don’t mind the lessons, and that she periodically checks in with them to be sure that they aren’t bothered by the sounds of students practicing. She joked that the cookies she occasionally brings to her neighbors probably don’t hurt either.

Sonja Gunderson practices a new piece. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A music book clipped securely from the wind. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Hand sanitizer for each student to use before they begin playing is one of Amy Putnam’s rules. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A piano student pages through her lesson book. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Keeping at least six feet apart, Amy Putnam plays a duet with her student. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A student works on her scales. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Flowers bloom amid the practice space. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

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The name change was part of an effort to re-focus attention on the protests against police brutality, and the defunding of the Seattle Police Department. Some organizers are worried that the area is turning into a “block party” for curious Seattleites, and losing the momentum of a political movement. The shift also comes after some right-wing media claimed that protestors were intent on seceding from the United States altogether.

The initial confusion surrounding the name change can also be seen as a symptom of disagreement among the protestors themselves. While some organizers are intent on keeping focused on issues of police brutality, there are others who want to expand the mission, and turn the protest zone into an anarchist space offering mutual aid to marginalized groups.

Some protestors would like the Police Precinct at 11th and Pine to be turned into a community center. While police have gone in and out of the East Precinct since the zone’s creation, the building’s future remains unclear.

On June 16th, the Seattle Department of Transportation and the city’s Fire Department swapped CHOP’s plastic orange barricades for concrete ones, opening up traffic on 12th Street, and providing security for protestors concerned about cars attempting to drive through the zone.

The post What’s next for Seattle’s Autonomous Zone? appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Since June 8th, Seattle protestors have taken up residence inside a six block “Autonomous Zone” in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, referred to as CHAZ.

After two weeks of clashes between police and protestors throughout the city, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said law enforcement officers boarded up and left the East Precinct in “an exercise in trust and deescalation.” She has denied responsibility for the decision to leave.

The “no cop” area held by protestors has drawn national attention, and even the ire of President Trump, who has called for the “ugly Anarchists” to be “stooped [sic] IMMEDIATELY.”

Capitol Hill residents have described CHAZ as “extremely chill,” and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has said she isn’t sure how long the settlement will last, joking on CNN that Seattle could have “a summer of love.”

While the fate of CHAZ is unclear, protestors have released a list of demands on their website, calling for the complete defunding and abolishment of the Seattle Police Department.

The post Inside CHAZ, Seattle’s Autonomous Zone appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The city has been protesting for days over the death of George Floyd, an African American man who killed when a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.  The police department and mayor’s office appear to be ratcheting down their response each day, as a response to outrage from protestors and residents. 

A protestor came out with a powered wheelchair to watch the march in Westlake. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Elderly man looks out at younger protestors passing by. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Young man looks out at the sea of protestors beneath him. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A protester displays his sign in Westlake, downtown Seattle. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A protestor passes out surgical masks to others attending the march. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

A Seattle police officer wearing a “Blue Lives Matter” patch. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Seattle Police Officer covers his “Blue Lives Matter” patch from the camera’s view. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Protestor stands on the hood of a Seattle Police car at the end of her dance routine. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Police officers topple the protestor from her perch. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

Reflection of protestors in the Seattle Public Library building. Photo by Madeline Gunderson

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