Chapter 4: Personalising Programme Evaluation

Enough of theorising. Let’s immerse ourselves in data – experience. Much of the experience you will read about is taken from my evaluation reports of performing arts projects. This is no accident – or, rather, it was a happy accident. It was in this field that I came to understand my leaning towards ‘personalisation’ – not least because it is a field in which the practitioners, sometimes, I think, more than most, are intensely self-reflective. When I first entered the Guildhall Conservatoire I was advised by the then Principal – a fine and sensitive man – that I would find it hard to talk to the students. They were more comfortable playing an instrument than talking. I found to the contrary – immediately. In fact, I found few music students who were comfortable with their instruments (or voice) and most eager to talk about it. The conversations that ensued were often profound. It seemed impossible to talk (evaluatively) about the project that was the focus, without addressing…well…frankly…the human condition. All students found themselves in an often intensive struggle for self-determination.