This past year has shown us that things can change without warning.  All the preformances we planned were halted, shows were stopped, and the events we spent months preparing were suspended, perhaps never again to come to the stage.

Musicians are the most creative, adaptable, and flexible of all professionals.  We have to be in order to survive in our craft.  We've been trained to think fast, turn on a dime and react to unforeseen circumstances.  With that in mind, it comes as no suprise that many musicians have found other ways to perform, including live streams, online meetings, and apps such as Acapella or House Party.

Live streams can be seen on socia media apps like Facebook and instagram.  They can be watched in real time alone or with other people online in a watch party.  In a nice feature, they can also be watched after the fact.

Zoom, Teams meetings and Google Chats have been used to collaborate among musicians.  Playing together over Zoom has been a challenge because of the lag (time it takes to send information). A program called "Jamr" claims to have solved that issue, but the program itself is very technical and difficult for a beginner to use.

Music creation apps like Acapella and House Party are fun in that they allow the user to overdub (record yourself singing or playing multiple times) up to four parts.  This can be done by one person, or shared over the internet with other musicians.

These are just a few ways in which musicians have overcome the obstacles of being unable to work together in person.

Please keep creating and performing, and share your ideas, thoughts, and concerns about performing in a virtual environment!

--Mr. H