It is in times like these that the importance of music and what it can do for the human soul truly reveals itself. It’s worth remembering that in these times of uncertainty and elevated levels of stress and anxiety, music can be a wonderful way to find some inner peace and solace. 

Here are some fantastic ways to engage, connect, and support with music and musicians beyond listening to music on your favourite streaming service while maintaining your social distance. 

Free Digital Concerts 

There are some fantastic, high quality streams of live performances available for you to tune into, play while you study, or enjoy on your TV. 

Sydney Sessions features performances from Sydney's music scene in exile. Their mission is to share one new performance, every single day, until the crisis has passed. Featuring music from Elgar’s Cello Concerto to fusion hip hop beats and jazz. 

Throughout the ban on public events, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are continuing to perform. Their mission is to share great music, even if audiences cannot join them in the concert hall.

The Metropolitan Opera are live streaming several productions over the next few weeks, including Tosca and Turandot. It’s the perfect opportunity to sing along and practice your opera chops with the world’s best.  

Like most other major concert venues around the world, the Berlin Philharmonie has closed its doors – so they are coming to you! The Philharmonie are offering free access to all concerts and films in the Digital Concert Hall with the voucher code BERLINPHIL when used by 31 March.

Activities At Home 

Finding ways to stave off boredom, or simply add variety to days filled with staring at your screen, can be difficult when you’re trying not to leave your house. Here are some of our favourite activities that you can try from the safety of your bedroom. 

David Griffiths, clarinettist with the Australia Ensemble, like many other musicians, is running online clarinet lessons. Check out what he is doing and see what other world class musicians you might get a lesson with on your instrument of choice. 

In this time of heightened sanitation, you might also want to clean and sanitise your instrument! There are plenty of how-to guides out there, but here is one we prepared earlier.   

Cheryl Porter, singing coach, has some fantastic videos for you to sing along to. These COVID-19-themed exercises are great for getting your diaphragm working and your body singing. 

There are also several, national and international, collaborative projects that you can contribute to, like Adam Woolf’s Bach Together and Couch Choir’s giant 1000-person video. 

Reading Material 

This week, ArtsHub made all their COVID-19 coverage freely available outside of the member’s paywall. They have also established a dedicated COVID-19 section on their website to help you through self-quarantining and isolation because – even in times of social distancing – art should have no limits. 

National peak body, Music Australia, also has free, in-depth coverage of how the recent crisis is impacting the arts sector in Australia.

Finding Support 

The current situation has affected many artists and musicians who rely on their freelance work to survive and pay the bills and the cancellation of so many concerts and arts events will have a huge impact on many people. There are some specific places that musicians who have lost work or are facing other challenges can find support. 

Sound of Silence (SOS) is a national campaign initiative from a Music Industry Taskforce made up of radio stations, record labels, tech companies, government bodies, promoters, and organisations that represent our diverse music industry who are supporting musicians through COVID-19.

The Australian Music Industry Network and the Australian Festival Association have joined with industry partners to tally the impact of these impacts on Australians - and hear your stories. We're working hard to find ways to support people and businesses who have been affected. You can let them know how COVID-19 is impacting you at I Lost My Gig.