Classic Express Research project by Ilona Sie Dhian Ho

In a combined qualitative and quantitative research the influence of storytelling in concerts for children is analyzed. In a controlled setting, The Classic Express (mobile concert hall), groups of schoolchildren attend either a concert with or a concert without storytelling. The groups, similar in socio- economic background and age, are compared. In a quantitative research the involved listening, the felt emotional intensity, the interest in classical music and the interest in actively playing an instrument, will be measured. For quantification new grading systems are developed by scientists and musicians in a collaborative process. In a qualitative research on the influence of storytelling the focus is on children with severe learning disorders. The emotional responses of these children in concerts with and without storyelling, and in combination with participatory elements (moving, gestures) are observed by teachers and caretakers, They compare their observations in the concert to the normal behaviour of their pupils. Both Interviews with the teachers and their grading of arousal, attention and emotional levels in the concert will provide data that will be analyzed by the reserachers. This research is the first study of The Classic Expression Research Group, a group of researchers from the Royal Conservatoire and Leiden University, collaborating to provide new insights on the impact of presentation techniques in classical concerts.

Camilla Genee

Data collection

The research will be executed by observing three groups of children (each group is listening to a different concert). Data will be collected by interviews with teacher(s) and analyzing video recordings.

Interviews with teacher:
1. Before concert – interview 1: General questions about the ambiance in the classroom, normal responses of children (happy, sad, angry etc.), exceptions in the group etc.

2. During concert: teacher will be given a simple questionnaire to rate the children’s behavior. The teacher will be sitting in a corner, he/she is able to see the children but not able to see the musicians and presenter. The teacher will fill in for every piece and for every child 2-4 questions (depending on total children in the concert). The questionnaire will look like this (still in concept):

3. After concert – interview 2: based on questionnaire that teacher has filled in during the concert. Questions will be about exceptional behavior and about the comparison with ‘normal’ classroom behavior.

The videos will be used to analyze the behavior of the children. Why did the teacher mark the behavior of a specific child as extraordinary or normal? And are we able, without knowing the child, to see why the teacher did so? What is the child doing?

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