As part of our Chiltern Cares: Community campaign, we caught up with Community Musician, Jo who shared how we turned our popular in person singing group 'Let's Sing' into a thriving online community group.As part of this campaign, we really want to share our experiences to support others, so we hope you find this informative and interesting!

How does your group run online? 

Sessions are run using Zoom. The link is shared with the group by email a couple of days before each session. We start with checking in with everyone that has connected, followed by our warm-up and hello song, and then do a mixture of activities involving singing and dancing/movement. Due to sound latency, with multiple attendees on Zoom, I mute and unmute throughout the session as needed - for example, when leading a song, I will mute all attendees so they can hear me and sing along, and then unmute everyone at the end so that we can reconnect as a group.

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How do you keep the connection between yourself and the members despite it being online?

By checking in with everyone individually at the beginning of each session, when there is the opportunity to share something they have done recently if they would like to, and also during the warm-up/hello song. There are also short breaks in between each song to re-connect and provide an opportunity for members to sing solos to the rest of the group if they would like to.

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Are there any technical logistics?

Firstly, checking the sound set-up on Zoom - making sure that my keyboard and voice can be heard (as there are certain settings that will limit pick-up). Secondly, I mute and unmute attendees throughout the session, to help manage any potential sound issues (such as audio delay or cut-out of sound, which can happen if more than one attendee is singing or speaking at the same time, or if there is background noise from one connection that Zoom might prioritise over who we are listening to). I always sing "unmute, unmute, unmute" after each song, which attendees join in with!

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Your group involves adults with learning disabilities. Do they require support using the digital platform? If so, how does this work?

Most members need a parent/carer/support worker to initially connect them to the group, and disconnect at the end. Otherwise, no further technical support is needed as I can mute/unmute everyone as required. The only exception, currently, is for one connection with multiple attendees where, for some reason, their settings won't allow me to unmute them, so I have to click the 'request unmute' option and a carer/support worker will unmute for them.

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What are the benefits of a digital group?

Access to an in-person session might not be possible for everyone (which could be due to health or transport issues, for example), and so being able to connect with others online for singing is a great option. Also, being online means there isn't a location barrier! The use of instruments/percussion would be difficult for a digital group, as not all frequencies are picked up by Zoom, however, as Let's Sing! focusses on connection, fun and well-being through voice, the online sessions work very well. Members have said they enjoy and look forward to the sessions - that in itself demonstrates the power of connection through this medium.

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