For the past six weeks, a Clifton Park music teacher has been doing what was once unthinkable: She's teaching outdoors, in her driveway.

Carol Ball and her students have braved the heat, and occasionally the rain, for string lessons. She's been teaching for about 45 years and says working in her driveway is a first, but because of the pandemic, it's the only option.

"When I realized that I would be looking at masked faces, but I would still see their beautiful eyes and hear their beautiful sound, it just really lifted the dark cloud a bit," says Ball.

Ball has worked with most of her students for several years. The humidity and heat occasionally cause their instruments to go off key, or in more extreme situations break the strings, but the lessons are about more than the music.

"It was really nice seeing people, especially people who share an interest," says Noah Driscoll, one of Ball's students.

Summer classes are now over, but Ball isn't ruling out teaching outdoors again in the future.