How Can I Keep From Singing? A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Ontarian Choral Music Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the practices of choral music educators in Ontario for three school years. Previous research has focused on particular aspects of teaching music during the pandemic including the use of technology in music education, the experiences of educators during the initial lockdown, hybrid learning in post-secondary settings, and the impact of COVID-19 on choral programs in Canada a year into the pandemic. What has not yet been studied is how the pandemic impacted choral music educators. To understand these impacts, we must first understand the phenomenon of choral music teaching during the pandemic. This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of secondary choral music educators teaching in the Greater Toronto Area during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the exploration of the professional realities of secondary choral music educators between March 2020 and June 2023, this research produces in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon while also uncovering possible impacts of the pandemic on choral programs. Through careful analysis, three themes granted further insight into how participants experienced the phenomenon; the ways in which the participants described adapting to change, experiencing loss, and navigating the disconnect between their expectations and their realities. The findings from this study contribute to the growing research about the impacts of the pandemic on music education and will increase understanding of post-pandemic realities in Ontarian secondary choral music programs. Keywords: choral music education, phenomenon, pandemic, COVID-19, emergency online learning, hybrid learning, recovery.

Department dc:contributor.department

Music

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Joy, Sara

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• John, Bina

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/140882

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/140882