The grief and the possibility: An autoethnographic reflection on teaching community music at third level during COVID-19

Abstract

In this autoethnographic reflective essay, I explore the challenges that the COVID-19 crisis presented to community music training and practice within a university setting, through the evocative ‘storying’ of key experiences from my own work. I acknowledge the sense of grief that came with losing opportunities for music-making face to face. Whilst online music-making matters, the visceral experience of sound within space was deeply missed by staff and students. In contrast, I also explore the possibilities that COVID-19 pushed us to explore. These include connecting with international partners in our regular teaching, establishing a digital collaborative project with a local school and creating online placement opportunities. I explore the unexpected developments in teaching, learning and scholarship that have occurred as a result. I also acknowledge the questions and critiques that the pandemic revealed. Whilst the longing for in-person music-making continued, it was reassuring to know that we retained our capacity to connect.