Musicians struggle to survive in the time of coronavirus
Anovel member of the coronavirus disease family, COVID-19, is now with us, seemingly everywhere, and is here to stay. Small wonder, then, that the world is overtaken by a massive wave of fear. Also spreading swiftly are people’s reactions to the global stressor, in both predictable and innovative ways. Music, in any and every variety, is proving both familiar and novel. Large swaths of the globe are under lockdown, with millions being asked or ordered by their governments to stay indoors. While professionals who oversee the smooth running of supply chains are doing their best to help people believe that food is unlikely to run out, other professionals are getting creative in their efforts to help the anxious find respite within. Musicians, crucially, count among the latter group.
In Italy, currently the deadliest center of the pandemic, people must stay home under stringent social distancing measures. Musicians, professional and amateur, have taken to balconies to engage others in song. Samples of short videos circulating on social media show a variety of musical activities taking place communally, all from balconies. Welcoming participation from a sufficient number of neighbors makes these musicians’ efforts worth their while, emotionally if not financially. Comparable attempts in other countries don’t seem to have had a similarly positive effect. Memes representing Germany and
New York City show the song initiator shifting rapidly to quiet after neighborly shouts asked them to do so; though in not as polite a set of words. Despite similarities in circumstances, comparable attempts elicit drastically different reactions. Culture, in fact, is too pertinent when it comes to music.
Though unfortunate, it may be no news that musicians, and music teachers, are among those most dramatically hit by economic crises. This is why many would-be musicians have office jobs, lest they have none at all. But for those who have worked hard to carve out a performer’s career, being suddenly cut off from audiences and told that they and those they regularly meet for the purpose of music making would have to stay away from each other is likely to spell disaster. While some musicians might have the relative protection of institutional employment and unions, for the vast majority around the world, their livelihood depends on the next gig.
In many countries of the Middle East, musicians will struggle to survive in the age of COVID-19. Even in the solid economies of Western Europe or North America, Middle Eastern musicians are, for the most part, migrants and in many cases refugees, who may not be able to weather a two-week financial storm, let alone one that has no foreseeable end. Music is an essential part of what we humans do, and it is an important component of our happiness, health and well-being. If we want it to remain with us, we need to pay attention to the financial security of those who make it. As governments draw up rescue packages, let us hope they ensure that musicians are accounted for. Musicians, and the music they make, are important for our survival and sanity, especially in the stressful months we are told to expect.
If you are a reader of this column who wishes to be directed to Middle Eastern musicians doing great work, get in touch with me at talajarjour.academia.edu/contact and I will be happy to help (for free).