3.4 Personal development

2019 In the Buddy Groups I recognised myself in the stories of the others, that gave me a positive feeling 2022 2021

2019

Buddy Group sessions helped me to quickly feel welcome/at home in the group 2022

2021

2019

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly agree (5) Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree (1)

The Island Game in particular gave the participants the opportunity to reflect on their place in an unequal social structure with privileges and disadvantages, and to become aware that positive action was possible. This awareness was achieved mostly by triggering thoughts and feelings of injustice in the game. In the Summer School Surveys, we checked the participants’ improvement in various skills and insights that were worked on in the Island Game (and Buddy Groups). The graph above shows the outcomes. Remember that the diversity skills were the type of skill that most participants felt they had already mastered the best before the Summer Schools (as they indicated in the Baseline Survey). This might explain why participants ticked ‘disagree’ and even ‘strongly disagree’ more often about this cluster of statements in the Summer School Survey. Nonetheless, here too, progress could be registered: between roughly 65 per cent and 75 per cent of the participants agreed or agreed strongly with all the statements. The exception is the statement that the Island Game made them more aware of their own prejudice, with which ‘only’ 57 per cent of the 2019 participants agreed or agreed strongly. We noticed that the 2022 orchestra picked up on the principle of sharing more than the previous groups, possibly because there was more emphasis on sharing in the 2022 workshops than in the years before:

In the beginning of the Island Game, I did not understand what was going on and why they wanted us to play a stupid game. I was part of what turned out to be the disadvantaged group. I was very confused, but it was a good lesson: it is not your fault that you didn’t get where you wanted to be. I shared this experience and lesson with my boyfriend, who is also a musician. We both applied to Young, but he did not get accepted. I feel guilty towards him and happiness about being here at the same time. But the workshop taught me not to feel guilty about being privileged, as long as you just share what you’ve learned. That is what I did. (Violinist, Moldova, 2022 participant)

It is interesting to note that the graph exhibits a progressive line: each edition the scores are a little higher. The adjustment of the social programme to better attune it to the goals and to build on the experiences from previous year(s) seems to have had the desired effect.

3.4 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Summer School Survey also addressed a wide range of aspects of self-awareness and mental strength. Although we did not inquire in the surveys into a possible growth in self-confidence as a consequence of attending the Summer School, it appears to have been an important social impact of the Summer School for some of the participants as several of the quotes and portraits indicate.

Self-awareness The graph below shows that the two aspects that improved the most during the Summer Schools were the participants’ ability to recognise and praise the qualities of others and their understanding that they can learn new things and improve themselves. Around 90 per cent agreed or agreed strongly with these statements. What is interesting from a sociological point of view is the strong agreement with statements such as during the Summer School participants learned to “understand that I need other people to develop and improve my skills” and to “understand how my qualities relate to what a well-functioning orchestra needs.” In all years, the participants appeared to have more difficulties with recognising and expressing their own needs and with setting their boundaries. Nonetheless, roughly 60 per cent of the participants reported improvement in these aspects of self-awareness.

SELF-AWARENESS (in %) SELF-AWARENESS (in %) During the Summer School I learned to … SELF-AWARENESS (in %) During the Summer School I learned to … During the Summer School I learned to … SELF-AWARENESS (in %) During the Summer School I learned to …

Recognise/praise the qualities of others 2022 Recognise/praise the qualities of others 2022 2021 2021Recognise/praise the qualities of others 20222019 Recognise/praise the qualities of others 2022

20192021 Understand that I can learn new things and can improve myself 20222021 Understand that I can learn new things and can improve myself 2022 2019 20212019 2021 Understand that I can learn new things and can improve myself 2022 2019 Understand that I can learn new things and can improve myself 2022

2019 Understand that I need other people to develop and improve my skills 2022 2021

Understand that I need other people to develop and improve my skills 2022 20212021 2019

202120192019 2019Understand that I need other people to develop and improve my skills 2022 Reflect on myself and better understand myself 2022 Understand that I need other people to develop and improve my skills 2022

Reflect on myself and better understand myself 2022 2021 20212021 2021 20192019 2019

2019 Understand how my qualities relate to what a well-functioning orchestra needs 2022 Reflect on myself and better understand myself 2022 Understand how my qualities relate to what a well-functioning orchestra needs 2022 Reflect on myself and better understand myself 202220212021 2021202120192019 20192019 Identify my qualities 2022 Understand how my qualities relate to what a well-functioning orchestra needs 2022 Identify my qualities 2022 Understand how my qualities relate to what a well-functioning orchestra needs 20222021 2021

2021 2019 20212019

2019 Recognise and express my needs 2022 Recognise and express my needs 2022 2019 2021 Identify my qualities 2022 2021Identify my qualities 202220192021

20192021 Set my boundaries 20222019 Set my boundaries 2022 20192021 Recognise and express my needs 2022

2021 2019 Recognise and express my needs 20222021

2019

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20212019

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2019 Set my boundaries 2022

Set my boundaries 2022 Strongly agree (5) Agree Neutral2021 Disagree Strongly disagree (1) Strongly agree (5) Agree Neutral2019 Disagree Strongly disagree (1) 2021

Mental strength The Summer Schools offered the participants ample opportunities to work on coping with stress and fear through various exercises. For instance, this was addressed in the workshops offered by United World Colleges (and the Zoom sessions in 2020-21), and in the workshop given by one of the Concertgebouworkest musicians on his personal experience and way of dealing with stress. The aim of these activities was to teach participants to visualise their success in difficult situations, and thereby control their fear, or to gain a better understanding of particular situations by identifying which one of three personal zones would apply to a situation: the comfort zone, growth zone or the danger zone. The majority of the participants chose the danger zone for the situation “before a performance or playing solo.” In the Baseline Survey, mental strength in dealing with pressure or stress was the ability that scored lowest: all groups felt they could improve on this skill set the most. It is also the skill set for which all groups registered the least improvement in the Summer School Surveys. Nonetheless, progress was made, above all, on the participants’ acceptance that making mistakes is part of performing live. The least impact was detected on learning how to deal with being judged by peer musicians and how to deal with stress or stage fright.

2019 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Strongly agree (5) Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree (1) Strongly agree (5) Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree (1)

MENTAL STRENGTH (in %) During the Summer School I learned (how) to … MENTAL STRENGTH (in %) During the Summer School I learned (how) to … MENTAL STRENGTH (in %) During the Summer School I learned (how) to …

Accept that making mistakes is part of performing live 2022 Accept that making mistakes is part of performing live 2022 Accept that making mistakes is part of performing live 2022 20212021 2021 20192019 2019 Deal with stress of being judged by conductor/professional musicians 2022 Deal with stress of being judged by conductor/professional musicians 2022 Deal with stress of being judged by conductor/professional musicians 2022 2021 20212021 2019 20192019 Recognise my physical reactions/behaviour when stressed 2022 Recognise my physical reactions/behaviour when stressed 2022 Recognise my physical reactions/behaviour when stressed 2022 2021 20212021 2019 2019