The ERASMUS+ project "Online Choirs: How to carry out virtual choir rehearsals with the help of digital tools", which started on September 1, 2022, is led by Dr. Janine Hacker from the Chair of Business Process Management and deals with the question of how choir rehearsals can be conducted online. Univ. Prof. Dr. Heike Henning (Mozarteum University Salzburg) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Carôt (Anhalt University of Applied Sciences) together with Dr. Janine Hacker want to develop and test concepts and technologies for conducting choir rehearsals in the digital space. The resulting approaches will be evaluated in online choir rehearsals with a transnational online lab choir initiated specifically for the research project. In addition to technical and music pedagogical aspects, socio-technical aspects also play a role here:
"As a form of distributed music making, choral singing in virtual demands very special requirements. In order to enable "real joint" singing, technical solutions must minimize latency, i.e. the delay we are familiar with from video conferencing. However, choirs do not only thrive on musical interaction. In fact, musical and social interaction are very closely related. Singing together promotes a sense of community; likewise, group dynamics have an impact on singing together. In the project, we are therefore also interested in how to foster a sense of community in online choirs, where members may not even know each other. I'm very excited to try out different strategies here with the online lab choir," says Dr. Janine Hacker.
In September 2023, the online lab choir will launch with a first project. For this lab choir, the project team is currently looking for enthusiastic singers who would like to gain experience with online choir rehearsals. In six online choir rehearsals, a piece will be developed for a digital Christmas project in the form of a video that will be broadcast at Christmas markets in various countries.
The most important facts about the online lab choir
Participants need a laptop, PC or tablet and a stable Internet connection with a cable connection (LAN). The Soundjack software and high-quality audio equipment provided will be used for recording, so participants will not incur any costs. The online rehearsals will take place every Wednesday evening from 7:00-8:30 p.m. starting September 13. Further information and registration at: https://choirathome.com/index.php/call-for-participation-in-the-christmas-online-lab-choir/