Music plays a very important role in student development, it can help them acquire the skills for expressing their opinion and critical assessment of the world as well as foster their self-confidence and learning motivation. It is extremely important to promote the formation of collective musical experience through a creative process that simultaneously develops their instrument playing, socialization and cooperation skills.
Ensuring the process of collective music playing is closely related to the competence and digital literacy of the group leader - teacher. This is particularly important in the context of overcoming the constraints of the crisis since the beginning of 2020.
Due to the fast spread of the COVID-19 pandemic many countries adopted restrictive containment measures limiting assembling in public spaces and introduced social distancing. Amateur culture groups virtually ceased their creative activities. The measures equally affected the groups formed within the framework of the study process in music schools, as well as in universities and interest education groups. This gave rise to the need to study the consequences of the restrictions for musical groups and their participants.
The authors of the study surveyed general education music teachers and teachers of schools majoring in music in Latvia, as well as managers of musical groups asking questions regarding the digital solutions in distance learning. The analysis of the acquired data showed the willingness of the teachers to overcome the crisis and necessity to do so. However, providing distance learning required great effort from the teachers who have worked at their respective schools for many years. The analysis of the questionnaire data showed the necessity for improving professional skills in applying digital tools in the education process. This means that the improvement of digital skills correlates with the continuity of culture studies in musical education which include collective music playing.