5.1 Technical and logistical aspects
Technologically, acquiring and managing the various software and applications, logistical aspects of session activity, as well as the audio latency and volume management (“Sometimes I didn’t realize that the sound wasn’t working, the child didn’t show it”) were revealed as difficulties. Restrictions to the variety of instruments and activities (e.g. collaborative activities, “rally” style, group creation) were also noted as a limit of the online modality at participants’ homes. Likewise, session leaders highlighted the challenge of having to creatively supplement the pedagogical plan in order to effectively explain and model to participants via the medium of a screen. This being said, many important benefits of the technology were also revealed on the pedagogical side: sharing music and videos was easy and fast, the possibilities of exploration with the online applications were numerous, the screen easily captured participants’ attention, communication could be facilitated with the help of some interactive applications, and the participants’ pleasure in using this media technology at home was obvious to session leaders: “I think we’ve found good technological alternatives, all the tech tools work well, we manage to do beautiful things.”
Regarding the physical environment, sessions at home came with their share of difficulties, linked notably to internet quality and technical equipment, distractions in the environment (e.g. objects, noises, people), and confidentiality, as much for leaders as for participants. On the other hand, working from home also had advantages, notably regarding the organization of the music camp; it was also easier to accommodate participants’ schedules (e.g. an adolescent who does not want to do a session before 10:30am) and offer them time slots that were favourable from a cognitive and dispositional standpoint. The online formula of the music camp, based on brief (20-30 min) sessions without a need for travel, also allowed session leaders to be flexible in case of unexpected delays. Without a geographical barrier to recruitment and participation in the activities, it was possible to include participants from several regions of Quebec, in a radius of 300 km from Quebec City.