Making Music, the UK's membership organisation for leisure-time music groups and ensembles, and the Association of British Choral Directors, have suspended the WellRehearsed Covid infection rehearsal reporting app following the end of Covid-19 restrictions across the UK.

Launched in June 2021, WellRehearsed was developed as a quick and simple to use risk management tool to collect data on the Covid safety of all leisure-time music groups, vocal and instrumental, rehearsing in person.

Available free on iOS and Android, the app did not collect any personal data and asked two short, anonymous questions: Has your choir/music group met for a rehearsal in the last week? Were any infections subsequently reported by persons attending it?

Invaluable evidence

Over the 10 months that the app was live, more than 8,000 rehearsal reports were submitted from music groups across the UK providing invaluable evidence of how Covid-19 was affecting the music sector — both amateur and professional.

The data helped Making Music and abcd to keep their own guidance up to date and evaluate the effectiveness of risk mitigations, as well as offer policy makers real-life evidence on the likelihood of Covid transmission in music groups.

The live statistics on the app's website proved helpful in providing many music groups with an overall picture of infection rates as similar groups returned to in-person rehearsals.

Now, as Covid restrictions have been removed across all four nations, the volume of reporting has started to drop, raising increasingly difficulties to report on trends in a meaningful way. However, 4BR understands that WellRehearsed will be reinstated should the need arise again in the future.

Over the next few weeks, the data collected will be analysed and a final report will be published in due course.

Great example

Speaking about the decision, Barbara Eifler, Making Music Chief Executive, said: "This app has been a great example of how we can work together as a community to collect evidence which can help policy makers take the right decisions, and us associations review our guidance in real time.

A big thank you is due to all the groups who reported their in-person rehearsals week in week out, whether or not infections subsequently occurred."

This app has been a great example of how we can work together as a community to collect evidence which can help policy makers take the right decisionsBarbara Eifler

Vital role

Meanwhile, Rachel Greaves, abcd General Secretary, added: "After such a long period of stifling restrictions, it has been really uplifting to see so many music groups of all kinds keen to contribute to the data by reporting each week. It has also demonstrated just how many groups have returned to live music-making after lockdown.

The app has enabled us to collect data from real rehearsals and has played a vital role in helping us make the case for singing and music-making generally."