 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2026-03-12 21:18
Hi All,
I’m a member of an excellent community band that rehearses in a not-so-excellent high school band room. This space is pretty small but making matters worse is that seating is on permanent cement risers.
Access to and from most seat areas is difficult particularly for members that have mobility issues. The are no handrails, designated pathways, or any means to assist navigating; issues like this were quite de rigueur before ADA standards were established.
Making matters worse is the band is getting more “grey haired” each season. So far, there have not been any falls, but I am sure it is only a matter of time with the result being an injury to a person, an instrument or both.
The idea of finding a bigger area in the building, moving to another location for rehearsals, or removing the risers are not viable options. We must find a low-cost solution.
Have you had any similar experiences or dealings with solving these kinds of issues?
Thanks in advance. Hank
Post Edited (2026-03-12 22:26)
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Author: davyd
Date: 2026-03-13 22:25
I have been in similar situations twice. In both cases, the problem was solved for us. In the first case, the school building was renovated, with the resulting floor being all one level, with no risers. In the second case, the school was torn down and replaced; the floor in the new building is also all one level. Is either type of transformation in your venue's future?
Perhaps your group could underwrite the cost of installing railings. Would that be within your financial means? How would the school management feel about it?
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2026-03-14 16:38
Hi Dayyd,
We are on the same page. Sadly, a renovation or demolishing of the school is not on the horizon.
I am in the process of encouraging the band's Board to allow me to form an ad hoc committee to study the problem. We have an MD, geriatric nurse, and a special services director on board.
The Board now has a position paper with possible alternatives. Contacting the school administration would be step once I get a green light.
The notion of railings is a good one. In fact, I have two donors that will match any grant from the band, school, or the system board. A quick opinionnaire for current band members with some cross tabulations should provide some useful information.
This problem can be handled at the local level.
Thanks,
Hank
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Author: kdk
Date: 2026-03-14 17:30
Hank Lehrer wrote:
> The notion of railings is a good one. In fact, I have two
> donors that will match any grant from the band, school, or the
> system board. A quick opinionnaire for current band members
> with some cross tabulations should provide some useful
> information.
>
I have two questions about handrails. (1) Where would they be installed? (2) Would they in some way impede the room's normal daytime use as a high school band room?
Are you thinking of putting them along either the front or back edge of each riser? My experience with risers of any kind is that in one way or another they limit the flexibility of arranging chairs and stands (in addition to the limitations of the risers themselves). That may be a trade-off your group is willing to live with, but the band director, whose players are all 18 years old or younger, may find handrails a nuisance and may resist the idea. If the band director will support you, then funding should be relatively easy to come by.
You can't put railings across the middle of the risers - they would absolutely interfere with any normal seat arrangement.
I completely understand the concerns, as I'm approaching 80 myself and have mobility issues of my own. I detest risers of any kind.
You dismiss the viability of finding another rehearsal location. I'm not sure from my experience that there's an alternative if safety is an issue. In fact, you may need to be careful about how you approach this with the school administrators - they tend to be acutely lawsuit-averse, and any persistent suggestion of safety issues may end your welcome there.
Karl
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