Supporting Interaction in a Virtual Chorus: Results from a Focus Group

To get effective participation in a virtual chorus is particularly difficult because there is the need of artificially creating that common sense of union among all the group members. This paper aims at understanding how technology may enhance virtual chorus members’ interaction through a focus group involving three chorus masters with experience in conducting virtual chorus. We used the Thematic Analysis Template (TAT) for planning and analyzing the results. Results revealed that three types of interaction modalities have been employed: asynchronous audio/Video multi tracking recording grouping the participant single tracks, synchronous teleconferencing with one participant speaking, and social gaming. These activities are surrogates of F2F choir rehearsals because present technology is not adequate for real synchronous interaction. While waiting for connection empowerment, participants expressed their needs for enhancing present videoconferencing tools, including simultaneous recording of participants in an individual way and integration of the various environments.