“A choir is a social organism that needs human contact.” Conducting a choir during the COVID-19 lockdown period

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major changes to many areas at the very heart of our lives, triggering interventions that affected people’s everyday activities, both socially and individually. The use of e-learning and online platforms to support music education and performance created a drastic shift in how music was taught, made, and enjoyed. This qualitative study provides personal insights into the practices that choir conductors developed when in-person music-making became impossible due to health risks. Thirty-four Italian choir conductors answered 11 open questions about their musical activities and associated personal experiences during the main lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. Our findings highlighted four overarching themes—adapted strategies, the perception of technology for choral music performances, needs for achieving mental health, and remote music-making—that are contextualized and discussed.