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.