Bristol-based saxophonist and teacher Craig Crofton is looking back to when the UK went into coronavirus lockdown. ‘We were hoping for the best but planning for the worst’, he tells me over Zoom.
He was, of course, far from alone – every music teacher in the country faced an unprecedented new reality. ‘It was all very overwhelming and stressful. I remember I was just doing loads of crying and trying to cover it up in front of the kids’, says Rachel Llewellyn-Jones, also a saxophone player and teacher.
As Crofton researched his next moves, he realised his friends and colleagues needed a place to share information and help each other out. He set up a page on Facebook and within a week the Bristol Musicians Support Group had over a thousand members, with over half the posts relating to online teaching.
‘I've never done anything like that before’, he says. ‘It helped me hugely. I was doing it for everyone, but also it helped me personally – I had access to lots of information’.
Llewellyn-Jones was one of the first members. ‘Teaching is probably the most talked-about topic – people who've never taught before are suddenly deciding to try it, while all of us who do teach are dealing with doing it online’.
As well as advice on online teaching techniques and marketing, the group members share their expertise on what equipment is necessary, and post for sale and wanted adverts for spare gear.
The group also hosts resources and discussion on the emergency hardship funds available to musicians, such as those set up by PRS and the Musicians’ Union (see MT's directory, opposite), and how to apply for them.
Members have also been sharing their experiences of claiming Universal Credit and sick pay, and posting non-musical employment opportunities. Some musicians and teachers are taking jobs delivery driving and stacking shelves, and Llewellyn-Jones says the support group is helping those who are missing their old life.
‘There's quite a lot about mental health, people struggling and talking to each other’, she said. Some problems are more immediately solvable than others, she adds, laughing. ‘such as “***ing Sibelius, I'm gonna throw it out of the window, help, what do I do?!”’
Crofton's sister has lived in Italy for many years and has an Italian partner. ‘We were getting reports early on from Italy’, he says. ‘My wife and I both started to take the threat of a pandemic much more seriously. I was aware that something was coming and that I needed to prepare for it – we were actively preparing several weeks before everything locked down here’.
He began researching online teaching at the end of February, and, during the first weekend of lockdown, he set up the musicians’ support group. ‘I had quite a bit of information already that I'd garnered through my own research, and I knew this would be something that we could all help each other with’.
Llewellyn-Jones lives with health conditions for which she has to take a variety of medications.
‘I have rheumatoid arthritis so I am on immunosuppressants. I have to keep taking those or it's even more dangerous’, she told me. ‘I also have emphysema and COPD and I've had pneumonia every winter for three or four years, ending up in hospital twice. So those things together… Basically your number's up. I've had not one but three letters from the government!’
She and her family took the decision to stay at home on 13 March, ten days before the rest of the country. Online teaching with young children at home has presented her with different challenges. ‘When they're at school I have time when I can do other stuff; practise, lesson planning, transcriptions – that's what I've lost’.
Both saxophonists have seen their pupil numbers hold up well, and they've even taken on brand new ones over the past few weeks. For now, the worst hasn't happened.
‘Most of my students or students’ parents have kept their jobs – if in six month's time the economy tanks, then as people lose their jobs they're not going to be able to pay for the lessons’, says Crofton.
There are some silver linings to be found among the uncertainty. Crofton has learned new skills – audio editing and syncing video to audio – that he's excited to develop. He's also going to keep using some of the techniques he adopted for online teaching when he's back in the studio with his students. But there's more to the support group than advice on teaching, Llewellyn-Jones told me. ‘For the most part it's just solidarity. That's what people need – the understanding that everyone's in the same boat’.
MT's Covid-19 directory
The first place to look is Coronamusicians.info, which has a comprehensive set of links for all kinds of musician (see below under ‘General’). We've included the Musicians’ Union here, but all unions will have their own bank of resources – get in touch with yours if you haven't already.
Professional Associations
Musicians’ Union (MU)
The MU offers legal advice and assistance to its members, and, in response to Covid-19, has also offered small grants to its members through its Coronavirus Hardship Fund. Even if you are not a member, there is a lot of helpful information on the website. If you scroll down the homepage, there is a drop-down menu leading to advice on many different issues raised by Covid-19 (categories include: ‘Future Live Performances’, ‘Insurance’, and ‘Domestic Abuse’). The news section of its website is a good source of useful links for musicians in navigating the changing situation, and there is a specific page for coronavirus advice: musiciansunion.org.uk/coronavirus.
musiciansunion.org.uk 020 7840 5504 (London office; see website for regional contacts)
Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM)
The ISM's members have access to its in-house legal service, including a 24-hour legal helpline, and to its dedicated support and advice services. Further benefits for members through the ISM Members Fund include counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. There is a great deal of free advice on its website. As well as a dedicated page (ism.org/advice-centre/coronavirus-listing), the homepage breaks down advice topics under the headings ‘Performing’, ‘Composing’ and ‘Teaching’, including lists of opportunities and advice on topics such as livestreaming and self-employment.
ism.org 020 7221 3499
Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD)
ABCD has just published a research paper on the impact of coronavirus on choral activity, written by Martin Ashley, one of its trustees. The site also has useful lists of online resources for choir leaders in lockdown.
01935 389482
Hardship and Funding
The PRS Emergency Relief Fund and the Arts Council England emergency funding package scheme have now closed to applications, but the Help Musicians Hardship fund (see below) is still operating. The Musicians’ Union (see above) also has a hardship fund. If, alongside your teaching, you also work in the recording, publishing or live music parts of the UK music industry, see the entry on ‘UK Music’ below for further avenues of funding.
Help Musicians (Musicians Benevolent Fund)
Applications for the second phase of support from the Help Musicians financial hardship fund are now open. Help Musicians strongly urges musicians to apply for Universal Credit if this is a viable option, as it may provide vital funds and will speed up assessment for the hardship fund as well.
Help Musicians has a number that you can ring during office hours if you need help. You can leave a message and someone will get back to you. If you visit the coronavirus page on the website, you can find links to the latest advice, apply for hardship funding, and, if your needs go beyond financial hardship, ask to speak directly with a caseworker.
helpmusicians.org.uk 020 7239 9100 (England); 028 9023 3162 (Northern Ireland); 0141 303 9502 (Scotland)
Health and Wellbeing
We would always recommend an appointment with your GP as the first port of call. Here are some further options:
NHS
The NHS website has specific pages on coronavirus (search for ‘Coronavirus’ from the homepage) and mental wellbeing (search ‘Mental wellbeing’).
NHS 111 Online
If you need medical help, you can fill in an online questionnaire to find out when and where to get help and to be contacted by a nurse, if needed.
111.nhs.uk, 111
Mind
Mind provides urgent advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem. The charity recognises the coronavirus as a mental health emergency and has provided a large bank of resources on its website to support wellbeing. There is also a specific ‘Coronavirus and your wellbeing’ page.
Mind.org.uk, 020 8215 2243
italk.org.uk
Italk is a psychological therapy service that provides free support and treatment for people suffering from common mental health problems. You can self-refer online or by phone without needing to see your GP.
023 8038 3920
Music Support
This charity is for people working in any area of the UK Music Industry who are suffering from mental, emotional or behavioural health disorders, including alcohol and drug addiction. It offers a non-judgemental and confidential helpline as well as a free NHS-approved wellbeing app and an online support group meeting for musicians in 12-step recovery. It has an excellent page of coronavirus relevant resources and also lists vetted and qualified therapists, with links to funders who could potentially finance your treatment.
musicsupport.org, Helpline: 0800 030 6789
General
CoronaMusicians.Info
A central hub of links for musicians, with information on government advice, personal finances, legal/business advice, health issues, creative development, and working online.
Government advice
For up-to-date guidance and support on all aspects of government policy around coronavirus.
UK Music
UK Music, the industry body representing the interests of the recording, publishing and live music elements of the UK music industry, has an extensive list of resources, including, for those teachers whose work might overlap into these areas, an industry-centric list of places you can apply for funding. These include the Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers Forum and the Music Venue Trust. Go to the homepage and search for ‘emergency funding’.
British Phonographic Industry (BPI)
The BPI's ‘Information Hub’, which links from its homepage, has lots of helpful information. In particular; the Individual Support tab, which links to useful tools from Money Saving Expert; a guide to managing stress while working at home; and the Mental Health tab.
bpi.co.uk, 020 7803 1300
Social Media
Musicians’ Virus Forum (UK)
Covid-19 Information Centre
World Health Organization
UK Live Event Freelancer Forum
@MusicCovid
@MusicEdUk
@NHSuk (NHS)
@PHE_uk (Public Health England
