在冠状病毒爆发期间,马里兰州的音乐家每天举行音乐会

Maryland Musician Holds Daily Concerts During Coronavirus Outbreak

The spread of the new coronavirus has completely changed the daily routines of people around the world. Many are trying their best to find a "new normal" during a pandemic.

Musician Jodi Beder's "new normal" takes her to her home's front porch each afternoon. There, she sets up her music stand, sheet music for everything from Beethoven to the Beatles, and her cello¹ -- a large stringed instrument that is held between the player's knees while the player sits.

At exactly 4 o'clock each day, Beder begins to play.

Neighbors soon surround Beder's home. They stay at least two meters from each other, smiling and greeting each other from a safe distance.

Beder, who is 69, is a professional cellist². She has played in orchestras, folk groups and even a rock band. She currently works with a non-profit group that plays music for patients who are nearing death.

She lives in Mount Rainier, Maryland, a small city just outside Washington, D.C. The city is home to a large number of musicians and artists.

As Americans are urged to stay at home and avoid public gatherings³, Beder is hoping to use her musical skills to make this new way of life a little more joyful⁴.

Live music shows are not currently possible in the United States and most other countries. Instead, famous musicians are offering live-streamed shows for their fans. John Legend, Pink, Bono and Yo-Yo Ma have all put on special "concerts" from their homes in recent days.

But, Beder hopes her live cello music offers her neighbors and other listeners something that they may be missing in the age of social distancing.

"When you play music in a space -- whether it's outdoor or indoors -- it includes the space, and it plays to the space. And so, since we're all having to be at a distance from each other, it's almost like you can create a bubble with the music, and everyone is joined in that space."

She adds, "It bridges the space and it bridges the trauma⁵ that we're all experiencing from being cut off from each other."

On a recent day, Beder begins her performance with Bach's Suite⁶ I in G Major. The sounds of singing birds and cars going by are part of her space.

Neighbors arrive on bicycle or on foot. Some stand across the street. People who live especially close to Beder stand outside their own homes and listen to the music. Even people passing by in cars roll down their windows and slow down for a short time.

Lara Payne, a writer and neighbor, came to hear Beder play with her two daughters, ages 6 and 10. Her younger daughter, Delphine, brought her (tin) whistle to play along with Beder for one song.

Payne said, "When we found out she was playing every day at 4, we said ‘we are going to make time for that.'"

Beder says she chooses a mix of music so that there is something everyone may connect with. On this day, she ends her show with the famous American folk song "This Land is Your Land."

She said, "Music touches memory a lot. You're playing to things that people know -- and they know them from a happier time. They know them deeply and they usually have communal⁷ associations."

"So," she said, "you're helping⁸ people connect with things that are from a good place."

Words in This Story

routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order

pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

porch - n. a structure attached to the entrance of a building that has a roof and that may or may not have walls

orchestra - n. a group of musicians who play usually classical music together and who are led by a conductor

trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

bubble - n. a tiny, round ball of air or gas inside a liquid

(tin) whistle - n. a small flute-like instrument

1 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

2 cellist   

n.大提琴手

参考例句：

• The cellist's bowing was very sensitive . 那位大提琴手的弓法十分细腻。 来自辞典例句
• World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded The Silk Road Project in 1998. 世界闻名的大提琴家马友友于1998年创建了丝路工程。 来自互联网

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

5 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

6 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

7 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。