Ukrainian children’s choral performance in the conditions of the war with Russia (to the problem statement)

The relevance of the article. The issue of the survival of children’s choral art in Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion is painful and important at the same time, because it is a guarantee for the further development of choral art in the future. Despite the fact that works devoted to children’s choirs are published quite regularly in Ukraine, the changes caused by hostilities have not been studied enough to date. The purpose is to investigate the processes taking place in the conditions of the Russian invasion in the children’s choral art of Ukraine. The methodology. The research was carried out with the help of a survey of leaders of children’s choirs, observation of concert activities and implementation of virtual projects by children’s and youth groups, both professional (specialized musical lyceums of Ukraine) and amateur (choirs of the palaces of children and youth creativity). The method of statistical analysis was used cursorily due to the lack of comprehensive information on quantitative and qualitative changes in the compositions of the choirs under study, however, the available information made it possible to draw conclusions and identify general trends in this area of musical activity. The results. The results showed that, contrary to expectations and despite the danger, children’s choral performance in Ukraine maintains significant positions: festivals, competitions, concerts are held, choirs are actively invited to foreign tours. But this applies mostly to the central and western regions, in the eastern regions virtual work and creating videos in safe places (shelters and bomb shelters) prevails, as it is difficult to ensure the rehearsal process offline. Enrollment in specialized middle-level music institutions has almost halved, as well as a significant reduction in the number of youth groups, partly due to the high level of training of young Ukrainian musicians and their easy entering into the European system of music education. The scientific novelty. An initial analysis of the state of children’s choral performance in Ukraine was carried out, regional specifics were determined, vectors of further research were outlined. The practical significance. The results of the research can be used in the development of a plan to restore the activities of children’s choral groups, as well as, in the future, in the process of teaching choral disciplines, such as “History of choral art”, “Theory of choral perfor-mance”, etc. Conclusions. Children’s choral performance during the war goes through very difficult challenges, but also receives certain additional opportunities due to the actualization of Ukrainian culture in the world context. A significant reduction in enrollments at specialized and regular music schools is partially compensated by the quality of the long-standing music applicants. Youth performances are suffering serious losses as a result of active migration to European countries. At the same time, there is an active development of the possession of remote work technologies, the mastery of virtual forms of choral performance, the activation of touring and concert activities compared to the times of quarantine.