Conclusion and future

I have built up the project little by little from its incubation to the last intervention within the time frame, changing or deviating from the direction of my research at times. However, through the whole process of study, I have now established a clear short-term goal to do a series of workshops based on classical music and modern life culture, such as classical music and pottery, trendy buying shops, visual identity and product design, etc., so that classical music can exist in a more organic and interesting way in modern life.

The positive sentiment and feedback generated in these interventions can be easily detected, but its overall positive impact requires a long term observation and evaluation.

I thought I had achieved part of my goal by bringing classical music to a traditional Japanese tea room with modern elements and to a trendy café, something that I had not found in my previous research. Although the combination of the two interventions is flawed, there are many areas for improvement, for example the combination with the latte art is rather superficial and more detail should be added; the very limited sample size of the audience the tea room attracts leads to limited dissemination, which is something that needs to be considered in future projects.

Intervention III

The final intervention will be based around a fusion of contemporary classical music and in choosing a venue I really wanted it to happen in East London, because its a famous trendy place (Admin-Cityspice, 2022) enable to gather young people easily. I got in touch with a Japanese tea room on Brick Lane that does a great job of blending traditional Japanese cake and teas with modern culture, for example by replacing the ingredients with traditional Japanese hojicha in the form of a latte, and it would love to hold different events at the venue, such as sake tastings and traditional Japanese dessert making classes. I contacted the business via Instagram and expressed my interest in working with them. 

The information of the tea room : https://www.katsute100.com

After receiving a reply from the shop, I contacted a friend of mine who studied saxophone and asked her to adapt some classical pieces. Fortunately, she is a professional and adapting and playing was very easy for her and she was available on the day of the event. The shop will provide the venue and equipment, and the shop’s catering menu will cater for a wide range of people, with plain tea, milk tea and wine, as well as traditional desserts.

The event started at around 7.30pm and we arrived at 6.30pm to start setting up, including setting up the sound and backdrop stage set up. The venue was quite basic due to the need to be open for normal business on the second day and the need to get back to normal business conditions very quickly. Perhaps due to the weather conditions on the day, the turnout was far less than usual, despite all the publicity. Below are some photos and videos from the intervention on that day.

This intervention is the one I am most satisfied with, although it still has room for improvement. The format, the location and the target audience it gathered were by far the most in line with the objectives of the project.

However, the audience was far from the expected number and as a direct result the feedback received was limited, I think this had something to do with the weather and the way it was presented. I conducted random interviews and judging by the feedback from the audience (80% of the audience are between 20s and 30s, in addition to other performers), they said they were surprised to hear classical music adaptations in this venue, after all it was in an area with trendy culture at its core, and the fusion adaptations reaped unanimous praise. At the same time, they also received some constructive comments on how classical music could be incorporated visually and emotionally into trendy culture in future designs, such as designing products in association with trendy brands, planning immersive classical music exhibitions, etc.

Admin-Cityspice (2022) Street Art and Food Adventures in UK’s most famous street brick lane, City Spice. Available at: https://cityspice.co/street-art-and-food-adventures-in-uks-most-famous-street-brick-lane/ (Accessed: November 27, 2022). 

Intervention II

Inspired by the feedback from the langlang’s concert, I decided to try to focus on a fusion of classical and contemporary music, both in terms of playing contemporary music on classical instruments and in terms of repertoire adaptations. fun. The selection of music is an important part of this, as serious, solemn and religious repertoire is difficult to achieve in this intervention. At the same time, in order to argue whether the calming function of classical music is something that is difficult to achieve with other styles of music, I created another playlist of different styles of heavy metal music for the same participants to listen to. In order to allow them to appreciate and analyse the differences more deeply, they were asked to draw pictures to express their feelings, which also allowed for a better visualisation of the feelings.

Regarding this intervention, I think it achieves my most fundamental aim above all, confirming the acceptance of the fusion repertoire and the uniqueness of classical music in terms of functionality. Graphically, the use of softer colours was inspired by the combination of classical and contemporary music, giving it a vivid, be-loved feel. The control group listening to heavy metal rock, on the other hand, uses darker colours and straighter lines, giving it a manic feel. In contrast, when listening to classical music, the group’s behaviour and emotions were calmer. The feedback analysis showed that the participants were very interested in this combination of music, and the integration of popular music elements also eased the threshold of appreciation. For the next intervention I think we can use the combination of classical and contemporary music as the main part of the design.

Event research III

I reserved this concert in September, both for my own interest and to get some experience and inspiration from this event. First of all, unlike traditional classical concerts, this concert is about playing fun and interesting Disney music. I was very pleased that one of the participants of the intervention had invited me to come along to this concert, and at least my intevention succeeded in getting her to take an active interest in classical music. I was very happy that at least my intervention succeeded in getting her to take an active interest in classical music.

Feedback from concert:

I think that the format and choice of repertoire really combined classical music with a variety of art forms. Firstly, the concert featured performers from various musical disciplines such as Alfir Boe, Cherise, The Tenors, and because the theme was Disney, many families came to the concert and the response from the audience was that it was a very successful musical initiation for the children in attendance. This event inspired me to do an intervention with a fusion piece of classical music, with more familiar elements in the repertoire that might be more interesting to people.

Testing intervention

I wanted to combine classical music with a lifestyle that is approachable by young people, the phenomenon of coffee consumption is currently rife among young people as a lifestyle (Amani & Ihsaniyati, 2020), therefore coffee becomes a direction that can be developed. There are many different styles and functions of coffee shops, for example Starbucks and the cafe in Harrods offer completely different services. The cafe I chose was a more trendy one, located in a quiet neighbourhood and offering a professional barista course. I chose an interesting fusion of latté art and classical music.

There are two types of latte art, laffing is more common in latte art and requires more basic knowledge and technique. My choice was coffee carving etching, which has a relatively low barrier to entry and is more interesting in terms of the process and presentation of the result. I have invited a friend who is very interested in coffee to attend this intervention.

Video from：youtube – Howcast – How to Etch Spirals 
 picture from：https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/493425702894951369/

Classical music will be played as we make the coffee sculptures and we will need to create patterns inspired by classical music. I think the whole process is like creating a small work of art and getting a feel for the classical music calm in the process.

The feedback from participator:

How do you find about the event?

M: I think the design of this event is new and interesting because is not common and doesn’t seem to require a lot of practice.

Do you know the similar event before?

M: I’ve only known of a few beginner barista courses so far, but it’s rare to see a fun course like this for coffee.

What do you think how can be improved?

M: I think there needs to be some initial instruction so that the experience is more immersive. The environment also needs to be quieter if this is to be developed into a project in the future.

Analysis of testing intervention:

This testing intervention was fairly straightforward, and the feedback suggested that it would be feasible to combine classical music and coffee in the form of latte art, but by evaluating it in relation to the comments and feedback from the tutorial, the intervention did not go far enough and only combined a superficial aspect. In fact, George raised an aspect that I had not considered, the need to argue for the uniqueness of classical music. Why is it necessary to use classical music rather than other forms of music? There is a lot of theoretical knowledge on the internet, but I would like to prove this aspect through a practical act, and the next intervention needs to be designed around this theme.

Amani, A.F. and Ihsaniyati, H. (2020) “Barista art: Coffee education strategy to the community,” Mudra Jurnal Seni Budaya, 35(2), pp. 127–132. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v35i2.1043. 

One to one interviews

The analysis of the data collected shows that the targeted group’s capacity to use classical music as a ‘tool’ exceeds their own perceptions, they don’t call classical music ” aware listening ” as a background music for work/study/need to be calming, but rather they use the function of classical music subconsciously. This has inspired me to focus on how to integrate classical music into the lifestyle of young people in my next convention design and to create a positive impact (generating good impressions and emotions) rather than applying it mechanically as the primary goal.

Reaching the stakeholders easily requires an understanding of their routes and areas of residence. After searching the web and visiting the site, East London is one of the places where the young people is highly active, because it is one of the core areas where pop culture is concentrated. The area is home to a number of trendy cafes, restaurants and shopping store(lifestyle/clothing), making it a popular activity area for young people. I will try to design one of my subsequent conventions in East London to achieve better results and to get valuable feedback.

This video is a part of interviews due to the file size is too large.

The definition of classical music

To narrow down my project, I have set the definition of classical music in my project.

Focus on the functions of classical music and also help my target audiences to engaging this in their daily life – the stage for now 

The definition of classical music:

Wiki：

Classical music generally refers to the formal musical tradition of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term “classical music” also refers to non-Western traditions which exhibit similar formal qualities. In addition to formality, classical music is often characterised by complexity in its musical form and harmonic organisation,particularly with the use of polyphony.[2] Since at least the 9th century it has been primarily a written tradition,spawning a sophisticated notational system, as well as accompanying literature in analytical, critical, historiographical, musicological and philosophical practices. A foundational component of Western Culture, classical music is frequently seen from the perspective of individual or groups of composers, whose compositions, personalities and beliefs have fundamentally shaped its history.

The traditional definition of classical music:

  1. Music written in the European tradition during a period lasting approximately from 1750 to 1830
  2. There is a requirement for a fixed tune/format
  3. With certain instruments(piano/violin)

The definition of classical music in my project:

  1. With features of classical music (the melody/ the format: musical/opera/orchestra/ the instruments: piano/violin)
  2. Without the limitation of instruments and composed duration

Had the first tutorial on unit 3, and it helped me to reconsidering my project, and also reduced my anxious with limited productive work. I was suggested to step back to detailing my subject and finalising my audience and purpose, the whole weighting process combined with intervention I have done, helped me get out of the confusion zone step by step. 

Resource from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music

Feedback from tutor and interview

I had my August tutorial today, and after reporting on some of my research and interventions, Sasha gave some targeted advice. One of the things I felt was more appropriate at this stage was the need to create different playlists to broadly classify different styles of classical music. Another perspective he gave me was that creating different playlists can help people to enjoy/focus more on the present moment in a variety of life situations, such as cooking, afternoon tea, work and so on, and that creating a playlist of classical music can help people to engage with it more in their lives, i.e. to live it, which can help classical music to penetrate better into people’s lives. At the same time, it is also important to explore the fun side of classical music, as interest is the best teacher for people, so that they are motivated to engage with classical music. I will be looking for more innovations and collaborations in this area and will be able to see if they are feasible through subsequent interventions.

Among the many suggestions, I think the one that inspired me the most is creating habits related to classical music; too complicated, too big an intervention may turn off the audience, but a simple and short one is more approachable. The only way to make it sustainable is to make it sustainable, so that the audience can keep doing it without being reminded, and then it will be a virtuous circle that will continue to grow. I think the socialisation of classical music is also a direction that can be explored and experimented with.

I have had an online interview with a MA music performance(classical) student who have studied music over 15 years. And the most inspired ideal I got from her was it needs to be targeted to guide the people involved, as human habits and interests are difficult to influence and change directly through words. It is necessary to create a good sense of experience for them to change their stereotypes about classical music on their own, so that they will retain their habits. Developing an interest is also a part of the process that cannot be ignored.

Therefore, in the design of the next intervention, I need to use fun as the initial attraction, and then lead the audience to unconsciously experience and explore the functionality of classical music, and I need to make an organic combination of these two in order to make the most of it.

I have had some feedback from the presentation from tutors, and I kind of blocked from the feedback. There’s many exist events similar to my intervention, why is necessary to launch the intervention. I feels like there’s more research needed to be done, to get some inspiration from somewhere. I should communicate with more people related to the industry to get some different perspectives.

Through some research, I have realised that discovering the practicality of a project is more solid, more organic, than the aspect of developing its interest. 

Event research II

At this stage I mainly want to learn and explore the functions of classical music. In previous volunteer feedback, most people reported that they found classical music to be helpful in calming anxiety and even had some effect in helping them fall asleep. I think exploring the functionality of classical music will be useful for people with scenario-based applications. What I can see at the moment is the therapeutic aspect of music, as part of the genre of classical music is characterised by calmness and serenity, which could be applied to this aspect of mood/stress. I will also read up on research and I know that some universities already offer music therapy as a subject. I will then search for relevant repertoire and design an intervention.

In order to confirm my judgement and feedback from the first concert I attended, and to judge whether the “professionalism” of the concert had a visual impact on the audience, I decided to attend another concert organised by the organisers – BBC Prom. This time I chose an influential solo pianist (with a certain level of quality assurance) – Wang Yujia’s piano recital, also held at the Royal Albert hall.

The most intuitive way to tell if this concert is a big hit or not is by the price of the tickets and the ease of purchase. Those who are classically inclined will have been informed about the concert in advance – official emails, social media, friends, etc. The seating area I purchased this time was similar to the previous one, and I was running out of seats at the time of the seating selection step. This time I invited the same volunteer, S, to attend with me.

When I arrived at the concert hall for ticket check, the audience was noticeably larger than the last time. Upon entering the venue, unlike last time, the whole venue was almost full and the middle standing room area was almost full of people.

feedback from volunteer：

How do you feel this concert compare to the first one?

S: The music in this performance was obviously more engaging than the previous one and it felt like it demanded a great deal of professionalism from the musicians, might be different playlist. Although I don’t know classical music, I could clearly sense that the pianist was more professional and sophisticated in her technique, while her emotional expression of the repertoire was more fluid and intense.

Will you start following this musician?

S:Yes, her technique is amazing, I want to find the recording from the official bbc website tomorrow and listen to it again and again at home.

Will you listen the playlist again?

S:Of course! For me I prefer interesting tunes like tonight’s. I can see that the tunes in the playlist are also technically demanding and I’m surprised that the composer was able to write such complex and interesting tunes.

Do you keep track of official promotions and ticket information?

S: After these two different concerts, I think I’ll definitely be looking at higher quality concerts in the future, so I’ll be looking at different official channels, like Royal Albert hall, London West End Opera and so on.

Feedback from myself：

Words alone may be very tedious to describe, I was shocked at the time, curious how a piano, with ten fingers, could burst with such power and artistic impact. With just one piano, she played with a level of fullness comparable to that of a symphony orchestra. My musical audio-visual experience and immersion was unparalleled, compared to the first concert. It was easy to observe that the audience was significantly more attentive than in the first performance, and it was also easy to determine whether the applause was ceremonial or from the heart. Through this concert, I felt that the professionalism of the musicians does infect the audience very viscerally, but whether or not the audience has the relevant expertise does not affect their judgement and appreciation of classical music. High quality classical music may be more likely to interest people who are encountering it for the first time, and I think this points me in the direction of – researching how to discover and promote high quality classical music.

Intervention I

My first intervention was to get 10 volunteers are all aged 20-30, and divide them into two groups. I will create a list of classical music recommendations and they listened to the list for 20 minutes a day on a compulsory basis(they decided when to listen), and then returned to the experience a week later to get their experiences and opinions.

Group A – including 3 female and 2 male, the selection is mainly in a soothing and peace style.

Playlist:

Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy

Think of me – Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Swan – Charles Camille Saint-Saëns

Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig Van Beethoven

Memory – Andrew Lloyd Webber

Op. 9, No. 2 – Frédéric François Chopin

Symphony No. 6 – Ludwig Van Beethoven

Group B – including 2 female and 3 male, the selection is dominated by strong and upbeat styles.

Playlist:

Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

La campanella – Liszt Ferencz

Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 – Liszt Ferencz

Réminiscences de Don Juan – Liszt Ferencz

Paganini Caprice No.24 – Paganini

Symphony No. 5 – Shostakovich

Symphony No.5 – Ludwig Van Beethoven

These two different playlists contain at least one symphony, one romantic piano solo, one classical piano solo, one non-piano solo and one opera/musical selection, all of which are over 20 minutes in length.

The main segments I observed were

  1. Whether they listen to enough or even play more than 20 minutes a day.
  2. Whether they are able to cultivate an interest in classical music.
  3. Whether they are able to continue listening to classical music after a week without being reminded of it.
  4. Some thoughts and comments on the intervention.

I will selected some constructive/worthy feedbacks to be incorporated into my subsequent interventions.

Feedback and analysis

Track:

Day 1 

7 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 2

10 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 3

9 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 4

8 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 5

10 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 6

9 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Day 7

10 of 10 volunteers listen to playlist up or over or 20 minutes.

Feedback:

Group A:

Almost everyone is able to listen to the playlist for at least 20 minutes a day. 3 of 5 choose to listen to classical music on a routine daily schedule before sleep, or apply it to scenarios that require concentration, such as working or studying. According to their feedback, they find it easier to fall asleep before bed and it helps to reduce their insomnia symptoms. This genre of classical music also has a calming effect on stress and can help with emotional stability.

Whether or not you will listen to classical music independently in the future. 3 of 5

Whether you will follow the field of classical music more closely in the future. 3 of 5

Some thoughts and suggestions for this intervention:

a) This project helped me to be exposed to a style of music that I hadn’t really listened to before, and the moment I heard it I decided I wanted to listen to it before bed, and it did actually prove to be some relief for my sleep troubles. I think for the emotional area, classical music might be helpful.

b) I particularly liked the song think of me, which made me watch the film based on the musical, the Phantom of the Opera. Maybe it would be more interesting to promote classical music through videos, films, and visuals!

c) The music selected for this playlist in the classical style, like symphonies or solo pieces are interesting, but when I went to find some classical music to listen to on my own I felt very bored. Perhaps for the average listener, the choice of music is also very important in determining whether they find it “not boring” or not.

Group B:

One of the volunteers in this group only managed to reach 20 minutes on almost three days, and most of the time he needed a reminder from me to do so. His feedback was that he would only listen to the playlists he was interested in and could not find any application in his life, perhaps because of his preference for light music.

Other people use this playlist mostly for sports, walking and cooking. It’s worth mentioning that La campanella is loved by almost everyone, who finds it particularly interesting. I think this may have something to do with the melody and the structure of the composition, which I will need to analyse in a more specific way.

Whether or not you will listen to classical music independently in the future. 2 of 5

Whether you will follow the field of classical music more closely in the future. 3 of 5

Some thoughts and suggestions for this intervention:

e) I love La campanella and I loop this song over and over again when I exercise, it fits the vibe when I’m doing anaerobic exercise! I even go out and find different versions played by different people to listen to myself, even though I can’t hear some of the differences in the details, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying it!

f) Before participating in this project, I had almost no classical music in my playlist. What surprised me was that I didn’t expect classical music to take so many formats, breaking my stereotype of what classical music could be – dull. And the intricacy of the techniques involved made me admire the players and feel that it takes a very long time of hard work and talent to perform these well.