The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Music Education: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The study topicality is related to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on music education in various educational institutions worldwide. This literature review aimed to summarize and identify current issues related to music education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study used publications available in the Sage Journal database and published in the last three years (2020-2022). The study addressed three research questions. RQ1: What teaching modes adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic in music education are mentioned in studies, and for what purposes are music teachers using digital tools? RQ2: What are the challenges and benefits of teaching and learning music during the Covid-19 pandemic? RQ3: What are the common reasons for music teacher burnout, and how to ensure the teacher’s and student’s well-being during the music teaching and learning process in the Covid-19 pandemic? The literature review allowed us to identify three thematic groups that affected music education during the Covid-19 pandemic: (1) The teaching mode and the digital tools that support music education; (2) The challenges and benefits in teaching and learning music; (3) The stress and well-being of music teachers and students. The study revealed that music teachers mostly use digital tools to promote students’ creativity, support learning, and assess outcomes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, teaching and learning music were associated with several challenges: learning organization, providing the material and technical base, learning to play musical instruments, communication and support for students. That resulted in increasing the workload and a lack of control over equipment and performance, which affected the well-being of music teachers. Despite the challenges, music teachers seek and create several solutions to improve the overall effectiveness of music education in the changing epidemiological environment. The findings describe the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on music education and help music teachers to understand the problems that occurred during the pandemic.