In the first group lessons the students were instructed to begin their feedback by saying something positive about what they had just heard. Next they could say something constructive. Any guests attending the group lessons were given the same instructions. One student says that the atmosphere was one of goodwill:

«We say something positive and something constructive, but it doesn’t feel like a competition – there’s always goodwill behind the feedback.»

One early challenge was the quality of the comments. Sometimes they were too tentative and vague, especially those of the younger students. Some students had to be encouraged to speak up. One student reflected on this during the interview:

«But when I receive comments from the others I sometimes feel that they don’t know what to say, or that they’re holding back on their criticism.»

Conversely, some comments were too long and ambiguous. I occasionally had to ask the students to express themselves more concisely and explicitly. It was important to me that those performing must be clearly told what they can do to put the feedback to good use. When it was time to give constructive feedback, I would sometimes ask the question: “What can the performer do to improve [the aspects you picked up on]?” One student comments on the quality of their own feedback in their diary:

«I personally think I made some good comments, but I have to work on being more articulate and helpful in my comments.»

I do not see the quality of the comments as a problem but as an educational opportunity to ask questions and get thought processes going. It is often tempting to avoid situations with superficial comments and pauses that occur when the students are struggling to find something to say, not least because this can be seen as ineffective use of time. Both students and teacher have to go through a slightly uncomfortable and scary learning phase, but I feel that effectiveness increased and learning became deeper over time.

I found that the students eventually learnt to articulate what they heard and thought, and the feedback became more meaningful. They also increasingly began to use more of a shared vocabulary. I believe that is a good thing, because it shows that the students are developing certain frameworks and structures in their thoughts. They also get to experience several manifestations of the same phenomenon, something which strengthens and broadens their understanding. One student writes in their diary:

«I can listen to people around me, and I have several tools to help me understand. For example, if I want to change someone’s articulation, I can now better communicate how to go about it. Perhaps we’ve also become a bit more diplomatic.»

One student puts the practising of constructive communication in a broader perspective in their diary:

«We want to become performers, of course, but many of us will also be teaching music in the future, so it’s interesting. It’s important to know how to give feedback to each other so that the recipient receives the message.»