Singing Together, Yet Apart: The Experience of UK Choir Members and Facilitators During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 induced United Kingdom-wide lockdown in 2020 saw choirs face a unique situation of trying to continue without being able to meet in-person. Live networked simultaneous music-making for large groups of singers is not possible, so other “virtual choir” activities were explored. A cross sectional online survey of 3948 choir members and facilitators from across the United Kingdom was conducted, with qualitative analysis of open text questions, to investigate which virtual choir solutions have been employed, how choir members and facilitators experience these in comparison to an “in-person” choir, and whether the limitations and opportunities of virtual choir solutions shed light on the value of the experience of group singing as a whole. Three virtual choir models were employed: Multi-track, whereby individuals record a solo which is mixed into a choral soundtrack; Live streamed, where individuals take part in sessions streamed live over social media; Live tele-conferencing, for spoken interaction and/or singing using tele-conferencing software. Six themes were identified in the open text responses: Participation Practicalities, encompassing reactions to logistics of virtual models; Choir Continuity, reflecting the responsibility felt to maintain choir activities somehow; Wellbeing, with lockdown highlighting to many the importance of in-person choirs to their sense of wellbeing; Social Aspects, reflecting a sense of community and social identity; Musical Elements, whereby the value of musical experience shifted with the virtual models; Co-creation through Singing, with an overwhelming sense of loss of the embodied experience of singing together in real-time, which is unattainable from existing virtual choir models. The experiences, activities and reflections of choir singers during lockdown present a unique perspective to understand what makes group singing a meaningful experience for many. Co-creation through Singing needs further investigation to understand the impact of its absence on virtual choirs being able re-create the benefits of in-person choirs.

“It’s Not the Same”: A Comparison of the Psychological Needs Satisfied by Musical Group Activities in Face to Face and Virtual Modes

“…This information illustrates that several financial, technological, and logistical factors need to be considered for a musical group to successfully adapt virtually. These issues were also explored in the study by Daffern et al (2021) of choir singers and facilitators during COVID-19 lockdown. These researchers identified that "Co-creation through Singing" was important to their respondents, who described "an overwhelming sense of loss of the embodied experience of singing together in realtime, which is unattainable from existing virtual choir models" (Daffern et al, 2021, abstract).…”

Music for hedonia and eudaimonia during pandemic social isolation

“…Yet, the fact that values remained within non-pandemic ranges suggests some coping efficacy of virtual choirs and orchestras. Daffern et al (2021) describe three overall modes of virtual joint music making: (i) live-streamed where individuals sing or play with performances live-streamed via social media; (ii) live tele-conferencing where Zoom participants sing or play live to the sounds from a designated leader (with microphones muted); and (iii) multitrack where a collective end-product is mixed offline from solo tracks supplied by individuals. This last format was pioneered in 2009 by the American composer Eric Whitacre who also launched his "Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently" with 40,0000 singers from 145 countries in 2020.…”

“…The disappointment experienced by many amateur musicians (Daffern et al, 2021;Morgan-Ellis, 2021) and the self-reported quantitative ceasing of singing activities (Kiernan et al, under review), in fact, suggest that whenever singing at home increased (Ferreri et al, 2021;Fink et al, 2021), this could have been primarily driven by those who did not sing before lockdown. Balcony singing offered a treasured way of restoring individual agency against an incapacitating health disaster (Deaville & Lemire, 2021).…”

A Crowd-Sourced Database of Coronamusic: Documenting Online Making and Sharing of Music During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Reminiscent of previous outbreaks such as “The Plague of Saint Charles” hitting Milan in 1576 (Chiu, 2020 ), daily routines involving balcony singing and joint, steadfast clapping for healthcare workers accompanied by loud vocalizations, whistling, and percussive use of kitchen utensils (Taylor, 2020 ) offered musical ways of imposing structure upon chaos and expressing gratitude through ritualistic behavior (Imber-Black, 2020 ). When music teaching moved online (Philippe et al, 2020 ; de Bruin, 2021 ), musical skills and social cohesion were nurtured through lockdown-compatible, video-conference-based rehearsal formats (Datta, 2020 ; Daffern et al, 2021 ; MacDonald et al, 2021 ). Governmental and private organizations commissioned and disseminated health information videos promoting hand-washing (Thampi et al, 2020 ) and similar protective measures through musical mnemonics and dance challenges.…”