How Australian singers experienced disruption to choir participation caused by pandemic lockdowns: A thematic analysis

Abstract

Benefits of group singing participation have been well established and group singing through social prescription has attracted recent research attention. This study offers a unique participant perspective on the benefits of regular singing group engagement by exploring what happened when access was lost through COVID-19 lockdowns. Sixty adult singers, including five facilitators, who ceased singing during lockdown submitted responses to an online qualitative survey. The respondents had all participated regularly in group singing for at least 5 years. Multi-faceted experiences of loss associated with mood, emotional regulation, access to shared joy and social connection were described by participants. Dissatisfaction with online singing alternatives and challenges of navigating a face-to-face return to group singing were emphasized. The research also describes the specific experience of singing group facilitators who described feelings of anguish related to not being able to resource their groups with singing and negative impacts on their personal and professional identities. In exploring what is lost to facilitators and group members due to pandemic intervention, this study highlights the value and experience of group singing involvement outside of the COVID-19 context.

Keywords

arts and health choirs community music COVID-19 mental health singing wellbeing

Community-based group singing activities have a variety of purposes. They may focus on music quality (such as auditioned choirs), music therapy (such as community music therapy groups), or have blended goals of community development and nurturing musicality (such as community-based choirs). Participants gather to sing together, often with the guidance of one or more leaders known as choir/singing conductors/leaders or facilitators. A key activity of group singing is the collective creation of harmonious song using voice.

Group singing participation in the community provides members with physical, social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing benefits (Batt-Rawden & Andersen, 2020; Densley & Andrews, 2021; Gick, 2011; Judd & Pooley, 2014; von Lob et al., 2010). Such benefits have also been well established in clinical populations (Clift et al., 2010; Daykin et al., 2018; Dingle et al., 2019; Gick, 2011; Kwan & Clift, 2018; Tsiris, 2014; Williams et al., 2018). Group singing is an accessible and adaptable activity which is reflected in research interest from multiple disciplines (Brisola & Cury, 2015; Clift et al., 2010; Dingle et al., 2019; Gick, 2011; Tsiris, 2014).

The proliferation of group singing related research suggests that the most pressing question now is not whether group singing is beneficial but what makes it beneficial. This is particularly important to establish given the suggestions that group singing may be a low-cost health intervention (Helitzer & Moss, 2022; Hendry et al., 2022; Kang et al., 2018); an adjunct to therapy (Densley & Andrews, 2021; von Lob et al., 2010); or valid social prescription (Clements-Cortés & Yip, 2020; Good et al., 2020; Helitzer & Moss, 2022; Tse et al., 2021).

Social prescription occurs when health practitioners refer patients to community-based programs to address social determinants of health and reduce health inequity (Helitzer et al., 2022). For example, a patient who may be experiencing social isolation, depression, and loneliness could be socially prescribed an arts based, non-clinical intervention in the community such as group singing participation and experience wellbeing gains (Davies & Clift, 2022; Helitzer & Moss, 2022).

Given the established health and wellbeing benefits associated with group singing and the high rate of voluntary participation in group singing worldwide (European Choral Association, 2015; Music in Communities, 2011; Voices Now, 2017), it is not surprising that researchers have been interested in what happens when singing is interrupted. The opportunity to explore this question occurred when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way group singing was accessed and experienced. This study seeks to explore the impact of the cessation of group singing through COVID-19 lockdown on regularly attending participants.

Literature review

No Australian study has investigated the impact of COVID-19-related lockdowns on group singing participation. Internationally, there has been research into music and arts participation as a coping mechanism through the pandemic. Many of these studies included singing amongst explored arts activities but did not examine group singing specifically. For instance, Chiu (2020) published a comparative analysis of music engagement amongst Milanese society during the COVID-19 pandemic with the plague of 1576 and suggested music plays a role in coping both physically and socially during a medical disaster. Similarly, a literature review conducted on arts engagement (including singing) during the pandemic concluded the arts may be important in meeting the rising projected mental health demands (Bradbury et al., 2021). Ferreri et al. (2021) also explored arts and music engagement as a coping resource during pandemic lockdowns and surveyed almost 1000 participants principally distributed across Italy, Spain, and the United States. The demographic and socioeconomic distribution of the participants was representative of the general population in each represented country, with a skew of female participation from the Italian cohort and a mean age across participants of almost 30 years of age. Whilst the survey did not specifically investigate the type of singing activities undertaken (such as singing alone, online, or with others) the authors found a significant increase in singing across the sample and suggested it is an excellent coping tool and emotional regulation strategy (Ferreri et al., 2021).

Another study focussed on how music addressed wellbeing goals during a crisis and surveyed 5,619 participants from 11 countries (Granot et al., 2021). The study explored the impact of participating in 10 activities including watching news, gaming or watching entertainment, eating and cooking, exercising or dance, working on physical projects, reading, socializing, engaging in hobbies, and praying or meditating. Compared with these nine activities, engaging in musical activity was most effective for fostering enjoyment, venting negative emotions, and maintaining self-connection. Finally, the experiences of amateur music group participants (not specific to singing) were explored in a survey of 225 respondents by Zhu and Pitts (2021) who found beneficial social bonding, mental health, and wellbeing effects of group music making before lockdown contrasted with the detrimental effects of their absence through lockdowns.

Most studies into group singing published since the pandemic began in March 2020 have explored virtual singing. The notion of “virtual choirs” has received increased research attention in recent years, and it is important to note some ambiguity concerning definitions. There are virtual choirs which use technology (such as virtual reality headsets) to simulate the live singing group experience (see Daffern et al., 2021 and Tamplin et al., 2020). Another model of virtual singing involves individual singers recording parts and contributing them to an edited singing recording where the result is “a choir” yet the process of singing is individual (see Fancourt & Steptoe, 2019 and Whitacre, 2018). Most recent research discussion of “virtual singing” explores the transition of group singing face to face to meeting through online platforms.

Some of the scholarly discussion has focussed on the technical deficiencies or advantages of virtual singing (Datta, 2020; Galván & Clauhs, 2020). One theoretical review by Daley (2022) discussed the role of embodiment in group singing. Daley argued the online singing highlighted the role of the bodily experience of group singing. Therefore, through the absence of those experiences online, pedagogical opportunities to develop body awareness, and associated techniques were generated. Positive psychosocial benefits of online singing have been found in some studies with children in remote learning environments (Grebosz-Haring et al., 2022; Levstek et al., 2021).

Other studies have investigated the psychosocial impacts of virtual singing in adult populations. Draper and Dingle (2021), in a study with adult respondents, described an established notion that singing groups meet psychological needs of participants. Psychological needs include support, self-esteem, meaning, belonging, and a sense of control. They surveyed 257 participants from singing, instrumental, and dance groups and concluded that singing groups were able to adapt to online forums during COVID-19 lockdowns as well as maintain group identification and have psychological needs met, albeit to a lesser extent. Insider–practitioner research on a small singing and mindfulness group that was run online due to COVID-19 lockdown found positive mental wellbeing effects on participants including an experience of safety and connection (Foulkes, 2021). The author concluded online singing sessions may provide a useful gateway to singing participation for those who might experience social barriers to participation. Furthermore, a study into traditional Irish singing sessions using 108 surveys and 3 ethnographic interviews found online singing group activities can be beneficial for the wellbeing of participants during times of isolation (Thompson & O’Brien, 2022).

To date, four studies have specifically explored the experience of singing participants whose regular group singing experience was interrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns. To compare how losses were perceived between group singers from two countries, Theorell et al. (2023) surveyed 3,163 Swedish and 1,881 Norwegian participants. The social component was rated as the most “missed” dimension in participants from both countries and in Norway “something to look forward to” came second. Amongst Swedish participants aesthetic experiences, the possibility to experience flow, and having something to look forward to, were equally missed.

Another study undertaken during the early lockdown stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States by Youngblood and colleagues (2021), investigated the emotional wellbeing of community choral musicians. It should be noted that this study quantitatively sampled 400 self-identified musicians of whom only one fifth identified as vocalists, so findings particular to singers were difficult to ascertain. Participant responses congregated around themes of sadness, worry, and fear that they might not sing with others again in their lifetimes. Similarly, to Theorell et al. (2023) respondents in this study also expressed grief concerning separation from fellow ensemble members, a lack of motivation to engage with the group, and an absence of hope (Youngblood et al., 2021).

Daffern et al. (2021) aimed to look at how choirs adapted to online singing and what the loss of in-person singing meant for the group singing experience generally. The study found COVID-19 lockdown had highlighted to many participants the importance of in-person choirs to their sense of wellbeing, sense of community, and social identity. Social identity was affected both in terms of participants trying to hold on to it through the virtual models and feeling its loss. An overwhelming sense of loss was perceived in the “co-creation” of singing together in-person. Their cross-sectional study of almost 4,000 UK group singing participants also included around 800 facilitators. This offered facilitators a voice which is rare across the singing research literature (Dingle et al., 2019). Price et al. (2021) also explored this perspective during COVID-19 lockdown and used the term “singing leader” to encompass a variety of role descriptors including “choir directors,” “choir conductors,” and similar terms implying facilitation of a singing group. Findings from 251 singing group leaders related to role change, loss of income, decreased musical satisfaction, and wellbeing costs (Price et al., 2021).

Finally, Morgan-Ellis (2021) explored the impact of COVID-19 on group singing from the perspective of singing participants who chose to abstain from virtual singing opportunities. One hundred and seven participants completed an online questionnaire regarding the significance of non-participation in the lives of singers. While some singers faced technological barriers, most refrained from participation after finding that online singing was not enjoyable or adequate as a substitute for in-person activity.

Gaps in literature

Further research into the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown singing has been suggested by authors across several domains. Exploration of how singers navigate returning to singing has been proposed (Youngblood et al., 2021). Similarly, the importance of gathering the perspective of singing participants at different phases of the pandemic has been argued (Theorell et al., 2023). Daffern et al. (2021) also recommended further investigation into the processes of co-creation in singing for the benefit of developing the capacity of virtual models to replicate live singing models. These authors, along with Morgan-Ellis (2021) and Zhu and Pitts (2021), recommended the replication of studies about the participant experience of COVID-19 lockdown to further understand the role of group singing and what makes it meaningful. All these research suggestions nest into the broader recommendation to study when group singing does not work recently made by key scholars in the singing research field (Fahey et al., 2022).

Victoria, a state in Australia, was locked down for a total of 246 days between 2020 and 2021 earning it the reputation for the one of the world’s longest lockdowns (Boroujeni et al., 2021). This study was the first in Australia to investigate COVID-19-related interruption to regular group singing participation. Given the well-established benefits of group singing and the associated social prescription to singing, a study into the effects of “not-singing” is proposed as a worthwhile contribution to understanding the role group singing plays in the lives of participants.

Method

Design

In five-item qualitative online surveys, experienced group singing participants were invited to comment on the perceived impacts of singing cessation during COVID-19 lockdown on their wellbeing. The questions were (1) please state the number of years you have been involved in group singing below, (2) please describe how you engaged with your “regular” singing group over the COVID-19 lockdown period during 2020 and 2021, (3) please describe how the interruption to your “usual” singing group participation method, affected on you, (4) have you returned to your usual method of singing group participation? If so, please describe how the return to your usual singing participation method affected on you, and (5) do you have any further comments to make regarding the impact of not participating in “live” group singing on your sense of wellbeing? Approval for this study was granted by the University of the Sunshine Coast Human Research and Ethics Committee (Approval A211676).

Participants

Sample size

Participants were required to be 18 years or above, to have been regularly singing in a group for 5 years or more, and to have ceased in-person group singing participation because of COVID-19 lockdowns. Participants who transitioned to online singing groups, joined new online singing groups, or stopped singing with their group altogether were included in the study. Sixty five of the 76 submitted responses were fully completed. Five responses did not meet the inclusion criteria resulting in a purposive sample of 60 participants.

Demographics

Years of group singing experience ranged between 5 and 72 years with participants having an average of 20.33 years and median of 21.5 years of group singing experience. The rationale for including only participants with 5 or more years of group singing experience was to investigate the experiences of individuals who had embedded group singing in their lives to some extent. The study did not collect demographic information regarding age, gender, or geographical location. Five respondents identified themselves as both facilitators and singing group participants.

Materials

An online survey developed in Qualtrics was housed on a purpose-built study website. The contact details of mental health support services were provided at the beginning and end of the survey in the event of participants experiencing distress. The survey took an average of 11 min to complete. The survey was anonymous, publicly available, and was accessed between January 2021 and March 2021.

Procedure

The Community Music Victoria Singing Leaders’ Facebook page is accessed by a private group of approximately 260 singing leaders across Australia and overseas, but mainly from the state of Victoria, Australia. Participants were recruited through this page where a post briefly described the study with links to a study website housing the survey. Singing leaders were invited to share the research information with participants of the singing groups they lead.

Once survey responses ceased accruing, the survey was closed and the responses were downloaded into a spreadsheet. Ineligible responses were omitted. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the results. This method values the centrality of researcher subjectivity in knowledge production through deep reflection and engagement with the data (Braun & Clarke, 2019). The six-phase process of analysis developed by Braun and Clarke (2006) was undertaken as follows. Initially each individual survey response was read twice. Prevalent ideas, patterns, meanings, and potential coding ideas were actively noted. In phase 2, all data extracts were manually coded and several extracts were coded multiple times. In phase 3, all codes were represented in a mind map and loosely grouped into themes. To review the authenticity of the themes, the entire data set was re-read in phase 4 and the themes re-defined. A thematic map was designed in phase 5 and refined multiple times to condense the sub-themes and re-define them. Throughout the generation of the report in phase 6, the themes were revised. The selection of compelling quotes from participants to elucidate the themes in the final report also occurred in phase 6.

Positionality statement

For almost two decades, the lead author has led singing groups professionally and her own singing groups closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns. To access this insider perspective without compromising the findings, the questions were developed in consultation with the second author within the context of PhD program. Online anonymous surveys were used to capture the participant experience in their own words without personal interaction. Data analysis was undertaken by the lead author in consultation with both co-authors who reviewed the raw data, contributed to drafts of the thematic analysis and engaged in reflexive discussions.

Results

Four themes were identified: A sense of loss, Facilitators’ experience, Online Singing Experience, and Navigating Return. Illustrative quotes used in the description of these themes are coded to reflect that the quote comes from a particular participant (P) and number of years of singing experience (y). The years of experience data has been included to emphasize that the responses about loss of singing have been provided by respondents with considerable group singing experience.

Theme 1: A sense of loss

There was an overwhelming sense of loss expressed by participants. Responses ranged from “I miss it” (P12, 30+ years; P52, 10 years) to “it’s a quiet sadness, an emotionally sensitive subject and deeply felt yearning for something that you can’t quite articulate but end up grieving for. It’s like a joyous limb has been removed” (P15, 10 years). The losses were articulated across personal, social, and musical domains.

Loss of uplifted mood

Respondents described missing the positive influence of group singing on mood and feelings of euphoria experienced after a session. There was a sense the existence of this benefit could be relied upon therefore the anticipation of the benefit was also missed. “I just don’t get the ‘highs’ that I get from live singing, in any other way. There’s a loss of richness in my life” (P36, 55 years).

Loss of emotional restoration

Emotional self-expression and regulation were described by some respondents as deliberate goals of group singing participation. Others described dysregulation as an effect of not singing. “I have missed this regular opportunity to rebalance. It was a way I could express and release deep inner feelings, which now in times of stress and challenge I feel stay within me longer” (P60, 40 years).

Loss of shared joy

Joy was a term prevalent across the responses in relation to its absence. Joy was discussed in relation to both hearing the shared sound and to a sense of united purpose. “I very much missed the feel of belonging to a community and the joy of singing together as a group” (P35, 25 years).

Loss of social connection

Without group singing respondents described feeling of isolation, loneliness, and an absence of support. “I felt so much more isolated. So missed the social and health benefits that singing in a group provides” (P15, 10 years). Other participants reported disenfranchisement. One participant said they were undergoing “re-evaluation of the significance or not of friends from group” (P17, 16 years).

Theme 2: Facilitators’ experience

The responses from five participants indicated they were facilitators (also known as leaders, conductors, or directors) of singing groups. These responses included explicit discussion of running singing groups and being the group leader before and during COVID-19 and thus “singing facilitators” emerged as a data subset. Singing facilitators articulated the losses experienced by participants from their unique perspective with such nuance that the authors deemed the results worthy of separate consideration. In addition, singing facilitator respondents described ruptures to their own sense of identity and wellbeing as consequences of not singing in person with their groups.

Anguish and purpose

Facilitator respondents described acute distress at the suspension of their role. This response describes how the unavailability of group singing subsequently prevents emotional resourcing at a community level:

I’ve been devastated! This is what I do best, my best offering to the world and more specifically, my community. I see the good that flows from group singing at each session and know how each person benefits from it. To NOT be able to run choir and weekly sing for fun groups has felt like withholding a special form of medicine from people and myself. (P8, 30 years)

Change in identity

Facilitators named painful feelings associated with not being able to enact their identity. These responses named compelling loss including a loss of confidence (P27, 32 years), loss of wellbeing (P18, 40 years; P8, 30 years) loss of sense of self (P2, 40 years; P12, 30+ years), loss of identity (P2, 40 years; P12, 30+ years; P18, 40 years), loss of creativity (P12, 30+ years; P8, 30 years), massive depression (P2, 40 years), feeling unfulfilled and sad (P27, 32 years), and devastated (P2, 40 years; P8, 30 years). For one facilitator, there was a deep connection with a sense of purpose but trepidation about the ability to continue in the work “I was challenged by the heavy responsibility of keeping it safe and somehow still accommodating various needs and techno challenges, and I questioned whether to call it a day” (P18, 40 years).

The following response communicates a sense of bewilderment that singing was not only interrupted as a resource but now considered destructive in terms of public health:

It’s like a huge part of my identity and wellbeing was lost . . . I’ve sung all my life and led some of these groups for 20+ years . . . I really struggled with the reality that this life-affirming and magical thing could be dangerous. (P18, 40 years)

Theme 3: Online choir experience

Zoom was the dominant method of substitutional singing engagement and while some respondents appreciated the social connection, 34 of the 44 participants who tried the method made negative remarks about the musical experience.

No substitute

Online choirs required singers to mute individually due to latency issues and therefore singers attempted to simulate a group singing experience without hearing other voices. Many respondents described disengaging from their group because online singing did not adequately replace live group singing musically. “Singing online was not at all satisfying . . . while seeing their faces brought some relief to the loneliness, the discrepancy between actually being together, singing together . . . was too great” (P6, 15 years).

The music matters

Respondents missed singing together, hearing one another and learning together in the same space. “I miss the camaraderie and sense of community, the challenge of working together to make something beautiful” (P40, 15 years). Harmony was specifically identified as a sorely missed musical aspect of group singing and was described in the responses as magical, alchemical, cathartic, and beautiful.

Musical creativity was stunted in the absence of group singing for some participants and in some cases altered everyday life. “I have always had a sort of soundtrack bubble up from deeper inside . . . this occurs a lot less without the stimulation of a few weekly sings” (P8, 30 years).

Some positive experiences

Recording projects, innovative engagement methods (such as online trivia sessions, regular newsletters, or discussion time in Zoom breakout rooms), and new learning techniques (such as using multi-track demonstration videos, karaoke videos, or an online co-leader) were described in the responses. Generally, these activities were valued as ways to be occupied or connected during lockdown but there was no sense in any of the responses that these activities would be preferable to in-person singing.

Theme 4: Navigating return

Respondents described how their potential return to group singing involved navigating density limits, distancing recommendations, vaccination requirements, and mask wearing both indoors and outdoors. Returning to live singing participation involved feelings of fear, frustration, and hope.

Restrictions compromise return

There was a strong sense of dissatisfaction with mask wearing throughout the responses. Mask wearing mandates acted as a barrier to live participation for some singers and for others, there was reluctant acceptance. Dissatisfaction related to breathing difficulties, overheating, exacerbation of anxiety, and difficulty communicating.

Mandates for group singers involved physical distancing. Respondents described venues being unable to accommodate their full group and many had difficulty hearing other vocal parts.

Fear, frustration, and hope

Respondents described fear about returning to live singing regarding the threat of COVID-19 infection. Some participants chose to attend in spite of fear and subsequently experienced group singing in a less enjoyable way. Repeated lockdowns and varying mandates frustrated participants and was associated with cyclical uncertainty and disappointment. Some participants chose not to return to singing. One respondent described, “I find this frustrating and not helpful for my mental well-being. . . . the endless disruptions and restrictions have taken an emotional toll” (P24, 25 years).

Frustration was also expressed in relation to the restrictions and their perceived value. One participant expressed, “I believe the restrictions implemented far outweighed what was necessary and took all the joy out of something that would have lightened many hearts during a difficult time” (P38, 15 years). There was frustration about the reputation and collective identity of group singing. Some participants expressed a sense of injustice about the public health mandates related to singing compared with other community activities.

The presence and absence of hope was also expressed across participant responses. Some participants aspired to return to group singing although other responses described fading hope. One participant described this saying “it’s sad . . . I did not appreciate how much would be lost by not being able to sing in a group” (P46, 9 years).

Early returning experiences mixed

Participant responses were mixed regarding the experience of singing together after a period of being apart. Some discussed the ease with which their group re-connected in natural and familiar ways and others despaired at lower participant numbers in their group. Many respondents described the experience was “not the same.” The accumulated effect of navigating return under restrictions and experiencing a range of anticipatory emotions (fear, frustration, and hope) suggested that a formerly reliable resource had become uncertain, and potentially less enjoyable for some participants. The responses regarding these initial reconnections with in-person singing were focussed on mandates, complications of gathering, and the resignation of members (or even the leader) over the lockdown period.

Discussion

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19-related lockdowns on group singing participation for those who had embedded regular singing in their lives. Experiences of loss, differentiated perceptions of online singing alternatives and the challenges of navigating a face-to-face return to group singing were emphasized in the findings. This research also describes the specific experience of singing group facilitators through lockdown, providing insight into both their role in relation to group members and to specific personal and professional impacts of disruption to their practice. In exploring what is lost to facilitators and group members due to pandemic intervention, this study also highlights by inference, what can be found and experienced as a function of group singing involvement in a normative social context.

There has been substantive research interest into the extent to which music and arts participation (including singing) was adopted by people to cope during the pandemic (Bradbury et al., 2021; Ferreri et al., 2021; Granot et al., 2021). Literature established, in general, that arts engagement may be key in supporting mental health internationally during the pandemic and was associated with increased life satisfaction and decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms (Bradbury et al., 2021). This study investigated the less-explored experience of individuals who have lost access to previously established arts engagement as a resource.

A sense of loss

The findings described feelings of loss constellated around interpersonal and intrapersonal factors frequently collectively associated with positive mental health and wellbeing (Waters et al., 2022). The loss of these factors aligns with poorer mental health (Zhai & Du, 2020). Participants described missing uplifted mood, emotional release, shared joy and social connection which appeared to interrupt a routine associated with personal wellbeing. Zhu and Pitts (2021) similarly observed that lockdown-related interruption to group music making was associated with the loss of mental wellbeing effects for participants. In specific relation to group singing, Daffern et al. (2021) also concluded that singers lost an activity that assisted them to maintain good mental health at a time it was threatened by the impact of COVID-19.

Within the context of wider research demonstrating arts participation and engagement increased during COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide and assisted with coping (Bradbury et al., 2021; Chiu, 2020; Ferreri et al., 2021; Granot et al., 2021), the findings of this study may indicate group singing in the general community is already operating as an important protective mental health resource. The findings that the disruption to accessing that resource was detrimental to participants suggests that whereas engaging with arts may be beneficial during COVID-19 for those who had not previously been engaged, this was not the case for those already engaged for whom the alternatives were ineffective.

The findings of this study also support previous findings that the social benefits of group singing were missed by participants (Daffern et al., 2021; Theorell et al., 2023; Youngblood et al., 2021; Zhu & Pitts, 2021). This study was undertaken during some of the world’s most strict restrictions, yet the social loss articulated by respondents focussed not only on general feelings of loneliness and isolation but on specific elements of social loss associated with singing participation. These included an absence of the joy that comes from communing in song and a sense of purposeful camaraderie. The notion of camaraderie as a meaningful component in group singing has been highlighted previously in the research literature on group singing (Batt-Rawden & Andersen, 2020; Moss et al., 2018; von Lob et al., 2010). The idea that group singing allows participants to experience meaningful camaraderie in a non-talked based way (Densley & Andrews, 2021) may suggest why social loss was accentuated for some participants in relation to substitute virtual choirs (Daffern et al., 2021; Morgan-Ellis, 2021).

Facilitator experience

The singing group facilitator perspective on COVID-19-related singing disruption has not been specifically researched. This study offered the perspective of facilitators despite the limitation of a small number of such respondents. Amid enormous efforts to continue their groups, facilitators described losing a sense of who they were as individuals. In the context of social prescription, and discussion of group singing as a resource for healthy publics, the vocational experience of the facilitators and their own wellbeing appears important.

Facilitators also described devastation related to withholding benefits from the community. A sense of responsibility to maintain the group was felt by leaders and this supports the similar findings of Daffern et al. (2021). In this study, beyond the feeling of maintenance was distress at obstructing participants from the benefits of the live group. These results suggest that group facilitators have a sense of purpose in their work that extends beyond singing and includes an informal mental health resourcing of communities.

Online singing experience

Overwhelmingly, respondents described that online group singing did not adequately replace live group singing but facilitated some contact that would otherwise be absent. These findings are consistent with those of Draper and Dingle (2021). Listening to music during COVID-19 was found to act as a “social surrogate” reminding individuals of their experiences of social relationships and providing a form of company (Groarke et al., 2022). This notion is consistent with the findings that respondents were at times comforted by the online group singing model. Like the findings of Daffern et al. (2021), whilst some respondents experienced comfort from this social surrogate, others had their feelings of loss exacerbated by its presence.

In this study, online singing failed to satisfy respondents musically. The findings that participants missed many musical elements of group singing supported previous research (Daffern et al., 2021; Morgan-Ellis, 2021). This study found the music matters and suggests a notion that interpersonal effects are mediated by a further interaction being one with the music.

Navigating return

This study offers unique findings on navigating return to group singing gatherings. The considerable discussion of mandated restrictions, including mask wearing, social distancing, density limits, and vaccination requirements represented a period of time where participants had the choice to return to group singing but in a compromised way.

Unanimous dissatisfaction in relation to mask wearing whereas singing was found in this study. Whilst some clinical studies on singing in masks have examined aerosol-mitigation and acoustics (bin-Reza et al., 2012; Hui et al., 2019; Leung et al., 2020), this study offers a unique perspective on mask wearing as a barrier to group singing participation.

Frustration expressed in the findings of this study related to navigating return to singing, to the aforementioned mandated requirements as well as to a perceived climate of continual uncertainty. This theme of frustration echoed the work of Daffern et al. (2021) who found frustration and sadness was unanimous across respondents due to not being able to sing together in person.

In this study, the potential return to group singing participation was described by a theme of absent and present hope. Similarly, Youngblood et al. (2021) found aging singers feared they may never sing with others again. These findings highlight how regular singing participation may offer participants a sense of hope and optimism in normal circumstances.

Further research

In additional to the proposed further research discussed, the participant experience of return to group singing post COVID-19 restrictions is warranted. A heightened sense of features the group singing experience and their value may be present following the interruption and assist in exploring whether group singing is already operating as a mental-health resource in the general community.

Furthermore, COVID-19 has been contextualized as a collective trauma experience characterized by social isolation, fear of illness or death, and restricted freedom (Khan et al., 2020; Silver, 2020). As such, further study into the singing experience subsequent to COVID-19 may inform explorations into group singing as a potential trauma recovery model.

As in the study by Daffern et al. (2021), evocative descriptions of singing process mechanisms and lost benefits through COVID-19 lockdown came from the voice of the facilitator. For this reason, it is proposed that research is undertaken into the perspectives of singing facilitators on their role, how that role is resourced and the facilitation processes that confer the widely acknowledged benefits.

Limitations

This study was conducted through online survey. A more detailed qualitative interview or focus group may have offered a greater depth of responses. The inclusion criteria required participants to have 5 or more years of group singing experience. The survey design did not prevent respondents from continuing their responses after entering a number of years less than 5. This meant a small number of participants completed the survey unnecessarily. Furthermore, there may have been a benefit in including responses from participants with fewer than 5 years’ experience. A further limitation of the survey design is that it did not ask respondents to nominate if they were a facilitator, a participant, or both. Whilst five respondents did self-identify as facilitators it is not known if other respondents also occupied this role. It is also noted the facilitator responses, whilst rich, represented only five individuals. Participants were not asked their age which may have provided information on how the experience of older people, potentially more vulnerable to COVID-19, may have differed from younger age cohorts. Finally, the survey was open in the state of Victoria, Australia during the period of time the community entered a sixth lockdown. As such the expressed feelings of fear and frustration may have been exaggerated due to the timing of the study.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic individuals who commenced arts participation as a coping resource, however this study finds that those who were already engaged in group singing suffered without it. A range of emotional and social losses affected the mental wellbeing of group singers who had embedded regular group singing participation in their lives. Online singing played a social surrogacy role but was not a satisfactory musical substitute for in-person group singing. The nuanced responses from facilitators in this study articulated the distress they felt whereas necessarily withholding the group singing from their communities. Their professional and personal identities were also compromised and questioned. The facilitator voice potently distilled the broader range of frustrations described by the group singing participants suggesting the singing group facilitator may be usefully accessed in future research. The findings of this study may indicate group singing in the general community is already operating as a mental health resource.

Footnotes

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethics approval

Ethics Approval A211676: University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia.

ORCID iD

Belinda Densley

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