The response of community musicians in the United Kingdom to the COVID-19 crisis: An evaluation

Abstract

Written in the early summer of 2020 and revised in early autumn, this article provides a contemporary account of how community musicians in the United Kingdom have responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. With reference to select examples of the work of community musicians, this article seeks to identify the most pressing questions for both practitioners and researchers to consider when developing and evaluating offers of community music in a society that has been changed by COVID-19 and that remains deeply unstable. As societies move into a new relationship with the virus, this article has implications for the response of community musicians to the ongoing challenges they will face as a result of this virus, and in the event of another new disease emerging in the future.