AN EVALUATION OF NIGERIAN CHORISTERS’ LEVERAGE ON TECHNOLOGY IN THE FACE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC
For some church choristers, whose means of livelihood were attached to church performance, the COVID-19 pandemic became challenging. How did these choristers fare during the COVID-19? 69% of the respondents claimed the church they performed in, used live online music that is being streamed live featuring just two or three members of the choir. In comparison, 14% used recorded music, either those performed by the church choristers themselves prior to the lockdown or other forms of gospel music already recorded. However, about 17% of the choristers claimed no music was used in their various churches during the online church services during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. This gave room for concern; this study identified problems associated with the low-performance level of church choristers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through questionnaires purposely distributed to over a hundred and thirty (134) choristers on the researcher's WhatsApp platforms, these respondents were equally asked to send the same to their friends or family who sing in the choir residing predominantly within the Lagos metropolis in Nigeria.Responses were, therefore, collated via the Google forms. Descriptive analyses were made. The chi-square test/cross-tabulation and the Kendal tau were used to find the correlation between online performance and social media use. The study finds that the use of social media does not have a relationship with online performance. The study's implication reveals that, if the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts the choristers, then other aspects of the economy are not in saved hands from the havoc the pandemic has wrecked. Hence, singers and teachers of music should ensure they are technologically inclined. The teaching of music in school should also include computer music and how to perform online, which may lead to the school reforming her curriculum.