Many of you will be aware of my involvement within the World Percussion Group (WPG) over the last few years www.worldpercussiongroup.com . I recently conducted a small empirical study about the WPG, collating survey responses from the majority of past WPG members, aiming to find out how the experience had benefitted them. I wanted to more formally record and recognise the more anecdotal responses to questions of 'impact' and 'effect'.
The member responses, research process and contextual information is now open access upon the Leeds Arts University Research Repository and can be accessed here:
If you have an interest in the World Percussion Group, are perhaps considering an application in future years or are interested in 'real-life learning' more generally, this research may interest you
The resulting concluding statement shows:
Thematic Analysis of survey data reveals that the WPG is a significant and prestigious project which provides tour members an opportunity to develop professionally and personally through a challenging, real-life tour experience. Outcomes of the project relate to both the individual members and the percussion community more broadly with the benefits of ‘Cultural Sharing’ straddling these two domains. The success of previous projects has fed back into the ‘Prestige’ of the group, creating a positive feedback loop for future participants.
The image below visually depicts the interactions between the qualitative responses following a Thematic Analysis, recording the positionality of various processes and participant outcomes.
