Paper presented during the symposium “Music, Mediation, and Disability: Representation and Access” on November 21st, 2020.
Abstract:
This comparative study is part of a larger research project examining the life of professional musicians, conductors, or composers with a disability since the first documented case studies of musicians dealing with a handicap.
The present article concerns the challenges facing three disabled professional musicians during the global pandemic and describes in detail the mediation strategies they have developed during the lockdown period imposed by COVID-19 to continue their work, despite their disability. Each of them is usually active with a very busy schedule. Each is from a different age group. Each presents a unique disability, though all are physical in nature.
The study explores the necessity of teamwork and collaboration to pursue musical activities, the choices made in their use of new technologies, and what issues they faced with tools that are sometimes incompatible with their infirmity.
Guidelines are also given based on these experiences.