By Susan Gonzalez March 15, 2021 Share this with FacebookShare this with TwitterShare this with LinkedInShare this with EmailPrint this Yale School of Music’s “octet suite” in action. For much of the past year, Mateen Milan, a second-year student at the Yale School of Music, was unable to meet indoors with fellow woodwind players to perform chamber music. Occasionally during the fall, they were able to gather for outdoor rehearsals as long as they followed strict pandemic safety guidelines: no more than 10 musicians at a time, with all of them staying at least 12 feet apart. That of course became much more difficult when the colder weather arrived. While string players have been able to rehearse and perform together this academic year while physically distanced and wearing masks, brass and woodwind players like Milan — who are unable to play their instruments while wearing masks — were initially deprived of that opportunity. When the temperatures dropped, the music largely stopped.