What is your current understanding of the Corona Virus and it’s impact on everyday life?
I am aware of what is going on in the world and how the virus affected the whole world. The virus caused many people to lose their jobs and now many don’t have enough money for their families. However, it’s not just the jobs that affected us but also people started to buy all the food and things we need from all the shops and this has caused the markets to have fewer and fewer products we need. Another way this virus has an impact on us that we can’t get out for our own safety and therefore we have to work or study at home. The number of people that are affected by it increases every day and more and more gets it. Also, the number of deaths increases but it’s around 500 whereas the number of people that have it is around 5,000.
How do musicians (and more generally artists) react to the current situation? What are the pros and cons?
For all the musicians all the gigs or tours have been cancelled and some of the musicians have decided to perform their music live but through social media. This has increased the number of listeners because people have a lot of free time at home and most of them are bored.
One of the biggest advantages for musicians is that they have more time to express their music but also to improve their skills. Also to work on their songs and improve on the instrument they are playing or learn how to play on a new one.
However, there are some disadvantages, for example, self-employed musicians have it more difficult because they can’t perform anywhere and therefore they can’t get paid. Another disadvantage is that musicians that are in band can’t rehearse together for their own safety.
Is the demand for music impacted due to the effects of Corona Virus?
Yes, because people now listen to music much more often than before because they have much more time and don’t have anything else to do because they are not used to be in a situation like this. I think that the number of listeners has increased rapidly and that most of the people listen to music or watch Netflix. This can also be an advantage for musicians because they can post their music online or create live videos and get more viewers.
What is the one resource that many people have a lot more of and how can this be used to our advantage?
Like I said before people now have more time and therefore have time to try out new things. I personally started to work on my own songs and because of the amount of free time I have I wrote two songs which I’m working on at the moment. I’m also trying to practise more on a piano and learn songs to play.
What effect does this situation have on your own project and how do you intend to change it?
For my final project, I wanted to create a live performance to raise money for a charity called Candlelighters. However, due to the coronavirus, I don’t think I will be able to perform because I can’t rehearse with my band but also people are afraid to come out of their houses so we wouldn’t have an audience or a venue to perform at. I’m planning to perform my own songs and play for myself but also keep the Slovak folk song with my mom. I might also ask my dad to help me play my songs but also play folk songs. I’m still deciding if I should post the video live or if I should post it on YouTube. However, my project hasn’t changed so much so I’m not that worried about it.
How I’m going to present my final project
I will be recording my accapela performance with my mum and I will post the video on YouTube. The plan about the songs hasn’t changed so we are still doing 2 or 3 songs. However, as I said I cant perform with a band I decided to only perform my original music with the help of my dad who will be playing guitar and bass. The performance for my original song will be posted on YouTube too. However, I’m still not sure about the number of songs I’m going to have but I already have 3 songs which I posted on digital space and I’m working on a song at the moment but I’m still not sure how it is going to work out. I’m hoping that after we come back to college I can record one of my songs in a studio and create a single and also perform some of then live.