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.

Maksim Liberman essay on the CE research group

My name is Maksim, I was born in Latvia, Riga and I have joined the 'Music, Brain, Health and Technology' research group in spring 2021. Until this day I have performed various functions as an intern, aiming to receive professional experience, for my master’s degree in clinical neuropsychology. However, my main task in this research group was and remains the work on the Classic Expression project. After I was introduced to the concept of Classic Express I instantly was amazed with the ingenuity and originality of the project. Furthermore, I was surprized by the intended cooperation between the students of Den Haag conservatorium and Leiden university students. The idea of working with conservatory students was novel to me and frankly speaking I was not sure what to expect. I was curious how different would working with conservatorium students would be, in comparison to my fellow groupmate’s psychologists.

I was happy to discover that we have found understanding and were able to cooperate with ease right away. As we began the work on the first stage of Classic Express project, everyone worked with full responsibility and effort, leading to project’s swift realization. Each of the team members was given a fitting role by our supervisors, which resulted in efficient and swift task completion. Very soon, we became a team, a “dream team” as Ilona (one of the supervisors) has referred to us.. COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, brought many unexpected difficulties, which in my opinion only made us value our work and its fruits more. As a result, despite all hardships, we have executed experiment-concerts and developed a child version of a concert engagement scale, thus becoming full-fledged members of the 'Music, Brain, Health and Technology' research group.

In conclusion I would like to note that the collaboration with the Den Haag conservatorium students was a new and refreshing experience. Being used to work with students from psychological faculty, I am glad that I had a chance to meet and work with people outside of my field of expertise. And lastly, I would like to mention Ilona’s contribution to the team. Being a conservatorium teacher herself, Ilona undertook a massive part of the research process organization, performing her responsibilities with great scientific rigour. In great deal, the success of Classical Express group took place because of her and I hope that she will continue organizing similar interdisciplinary research projects in the future.

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