The Pilot

(April to June 2022)

Under the broad perspectives of seeing the research artistically, sociologically and through a Hong Kong lens, we identified three major dimensions the questions will be touching on -

The Technology - In terms of hardware and technological usage, how the group faces it

The People - In terms of human relationship during COVID days, how the group deals with it

The Artistry - In terms of the artistry produced during COVID days, possibly with or without using technology, how the group produces it.

The pilot encounters

After the theories, a pilot stage was in place to first test the validity of the dimension we planned to proceed, while exploring the data-extraction process and taste the results that came in response to the unprecedented COVID scenario.

The team is much grateful to the help of the following groups and individual for their fruitful and inspiring input during the pilot interview sessions.

The session was conducted around April to June 2022 when Hong Kong was slowly recovering from the 5th wave of COVID.  

The qualitative results

Organisers and Performers were approached. Naturally to assume, organisers, being the leader of the group, were seeing the group as an entity which should be led and be given direction. The continuous momentum of the groups was an issue and musical meaning was to be intermittently delivered at least to maintain the group’s existential meaning.

Performers, in a different position, were abiding to the schemata of the organisers and were to respond accordingly, in which they necessitated the organisers’ steer for them to orient themselves and identify the music habitus they would enter.

Key phrases and schemata were distilled here

Pilot Stage - Keywords and Schemata.pdf

These distilled schemata, clear and intriguing itself, allows the research to further proceed and laid signposts for further questions when reaching out to the focus groups.

The quantitative results

The groups which assisted on quantitative data came back with results. The results were taken from the performers. A very preliminary observation can be found here -

Quantitative data - Pilot Stage

Though it may not be thoroughly robust, the idea crystalised from the quantitative data guides the team to orient itself better when delivering questions to the focus groups, especially on the usage of technology where neutrality is somewhat felt.