MUSICOVID-19: When the world paused but singing continued

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was unexpected and changed most aspects of our lives in a very short period; it led to surprising and unexpected experiences and changes for most people. To cope with these changes and hardship, Italians turned to songs as a medium of emotional and communicative expression. The songs that resounded from the windows, balconies, and homes of families came from the past and the present, connecting generations and serving as a medium to strengthen people’s individual and collective resilience. This study offers a reflection of qualitative research using a phenomenological approach on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practical musical experience of local communities from a Transformative, Lifelong, and Intergenerational Learning perspective. Purposeful sampling for this study was conducted through invitations to choral- and music associations for families to volunteer to participate in the study. Of the more than 30 families who volunteered, 82 individuals from 15 families in the provinces of Emilia Romagna (n=50) and South Tyrol (n=32), Italy, best met the sampling criteria. The methodology relied on semi-structured interviews as a research tool, accompanied by a thematic analysis of the narratives according to the aforementioned perspectives. The results show that participants used communal singing and music-making as important forms of helping, caring and sharing. This demonstrates the positive role of shared music-making and singing in improving wellbeing and promoting various forms of learning during social isolation COVID-19.