When the music stops: the effects of lockdown on amateur music groups

When the UK government announced a ban on mass gatherings and non-essential travel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, rehearsals by amateur music groups around the country came to an abrupt halt. Regular rehearsals and preparations for public concerts were abandoned and group members had to adjust to the loss of a leisure activity that in many cases will have been central to their social lives and wellbeing (as shown in previous research e.g. Pitts, 2019). This article reports on empirical research that investigated amateur musicians’ coping strategies during lockdown, including the ways that they continued to make music and to maintain contact with their friendship networks. An online survey with 235 complete responses investigated participants’ wellbeing and the extent to which this is normally affected by their music group participation, and asked about their hopes and fears for when rehearsals resume after social distancing measures are lifted. Participants reported mixed experiences of the online rehearsals that had temporarily replaced meeting in person, and some use of other leisure activities to fill the gap left by music-making in their lives. These findings shed new light on the value that amateur musicians place on their shared rehearsals and performances, and offer ways forward for reframing musical participation after lockdown.