README file 

About the data set 
Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme: Questionnaire and Choir Journal Dataset (Spring 2023)
Dataset creators - Prof. Simone Krüger Bridge, Liverpool John Moores University, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8587-5719 
Organisations with which the creators are affiliated - Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Cathedral
Rights holder(s) for the dataset  - Simone Krüger Bridge
Year of publication - 2025

Description 
This dataset comprises two complementary sources of empirical data collected during the Spring 2023 delivery of the Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme (SSP), an inclusive choral outreach initiative engaging primary school children across the Liverpool City Region. The first component consists of anonymised responses from 24 adult participants—teachers, parents, and carers—collected via an online questionnaire designed to evaluate the educational, social, cultural and wellbeing impact of children’s choral participation. This dataset includes both structured statistical responses and rich, open-text commentaries. The second component comprises 288 completed choir journals authored by children aged 6 to 11 from nine primary schools participating in the SSP. These journals contain weekly reflections on singing workshops, drawings and final concert responses, alongside socio-demographic and musical preference data. The children’s texts and illustrations offer unique, first-person insights into their affective and cognitive engagement with the programme. The dataset captures a wide spectrum of musical experience and cultural context, particularly in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. Together, these data provide a rare and multifaceted lens on the perceived value of cathedral-based choral outreach. They illuminate how children and adults experience the aesthetic, emotional and social dimensions of collective singing in sacred space, contributing to wider discussions on musical participation, cultural inclusion and educational equity. The dataset may be of particular interest to scholars of music sociology, applied ethnomusicology, music education and cathedral music outreach.
Key Information:
The dataset was generated through mixed-methods data collection during the Spring 2023 term of the Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme. It comprises:
1. Online Questionnaire: Completed by 24 adult respondents (teachers, parents, carers), capturing both quantitative data (demographics, Likert-style evaluations) and qualitative insights (free-text responses) regarding the perceived educational, social, cultural and wellbeing benefits of the SSP.
2. Children’s Choir Journals: 288 reflective journals completed by primary school children aged 6–11 from nine participating schools. These journals include weekly written reflections, tick-box responses, creative drawings and final concert feedback, providing qualitative and quantitative insight into children’s lived experiences of the programme.
The data reflect participation from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and were collected using ethically approved protocols. Journals were analysed through grounded theory and thematic analysis, while the questionnaire employed descriptive statistics alongside qualitative coding. The dataset offers rich, multi-perspectival evidence on the social value of choral singing in cathedral outreach education.

How the dataset should be cited: 
Krüger Bridge, Simone (2025). Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme: Questionnaire and Choir Journal Dataset (Spring 2023). Liverpool John Moores University. [Dataset]. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.24377/LJMU.d.00000233
Associated research publication, please cite:
Krüger Bridge, Simone (2025). Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme: A Research Evaluation of the Educational, Cultural, Social and Wellbeing Value for Primary School Children. Liverpool: Liverpool John Moores University. https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/

Contact details 
s.kruger@ljmu.ac.uk 

Terms of use 
Terms of Use
© 2025 Simone Krüger Bridge. All rights reserved.
This dataset is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence. This means that users are free to:
* Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
* Adapt – remix, transform and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
* Attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
* NonCommercial – You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
Full licence details: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
By using this dataset, you agree to these terms. Any reuse of the data must include proper attribution and must not be for commercial gain. For permissions beyond the scope of this licence, please contact the dataset author or Liverpool John Moores University.

Project and funding information    
Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme: A Research Evaluation of the Educational, Cultural, Social and Wellbeing Value for Primary School Children 
The project start and end dates  -
a) 01 September 2022 – 31 March 2025 
b) 1 September 2023 – 31 January 2024 

* Funding organisation name, include the grant number, if applicable  

a) British Academy, BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants SRG 2022 Round, SRG22\220726
b) Liverpool John Moores University, APSS Faculty Research Sabbatical Scheme 2023-2024

Contents  
Dataset File List and Structure
1. OnlineQuestionnaire_Responses_SSP2023.pdf
Format: Adobe (.pdf)
Description: Raw anonymised response data from 24 adult participants (parents, carers, teachers) of the Spring 2023 Schools Singing Programme, including demographic data, Likert-scale responses and open-text answers.
2. ChoirJournals_Responses_SSP2023.pdf
Format: Adobe (.pdf)
Description: Digitally transcribed responses from 288 children's choir journals. Includes weekly reflections, final concert comments, demographic information and drawing descriptions.
3. ChoirJournal_Template_Sample.pdf
Format: PDF (.pdf)
Description: Blank template of the reflexive choir journal issued to participating primary school children for weekly completion during the SSP.
4. Dataset_ReadMe_SSP2023.txt
Format: Plain text (.txt)
Description: Overview of dataset structure, data collection context, file contents, terms of use and citation instructions.
Methods  
This dataset was generated as part of a mixed-methods research evaluation of the Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme (SSP) during the Spring 2023 term. It was designed to investigate the educational, cultural, social and wellbeing value of cathedral-based choral outreach for primary-aged children in the Liverpool City Region. Data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative instruments and processed according to ethical research standards.
1. Experimental Procedures and Protocols
A. Online Questionnaire (Adult Participants)
* Participants: 24 parents, carers and teachers of children involved in the SSP.
* Instrument: Custom-designed questionnaire using Jisc Online Surveys platform (formerly BOS).
* Structure: Included closed questions (Likert-scale and multiple choice) and open-text prompts under the following themes: educational, social, cultural and wellbeing value; barriers to participation; and general reflections.
* Ethics: Informed consent was obtained digitally; responses were anonymised.
* Environment: Completed during or following final concerts (July–September 2023), either at the cathedral or remotely at home/work.
B. Children’s Choir Journals
* Participants: 288 primary school children (aged 6–11) from 9 primary schools.
* Instrument: Reflexive weekly journal (paper-based), designed with tick boxes, short writing prompts and drawing spaces.
* Structure: Ten weekly prompts plus demographic questions and final concert reflections/drawings.
* Environment: Completed in classroom settings over a 10-week period during Spring 2023. Journals were supported by classroom teachers to account for varying literacy levels.
* Consent: Institutional and parental consent obtained in accordance with LJMU ethical approval.
C. Data Triangulation
* Choir journals and questionnaires were triangulated with ethnographic fieldnotes and stakeholder interviews (reported in the associated evaluation report) to contextualise findings and support validity.
2. Data Processing and Management
A. Transcription and Digitisation
* Children’s hand-written journals were scanned and manually transcribed into a structured Jisc Online Survey replica to ensure consistency.
* Free-text data from both instruments were transferred into Excel for qualitative coding.
B. Quantitative Analysis
* Closed-question data were exported as CSV and Excel files.
* Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were conducted using Microsoft Excel and Jisc Online Surveys’ built-in analysis tools.
C. Qualitative Analysis
* Open-text responses were thematically coded using Microsoft Excel, following an inductive grounded theory approach.
* Recurring themes were identified across child and adult datasets, guided by the research questions and sensitised by sociocultural theory.
D. Data Anonymisation
* All personally identifiable information was removed or pseudonymised.
3. Software and Hardware Used
* Survey Software: Jisc Online Surveys (https://www.onlinesurveys.ac.uk)
* Qualitative Analysis Software: Microsoft Excel 365
* Statistical Processing: Microsoft Excel 365
* Transcription and Data Entry: Manual entry on standard desktop/laptop PCs
* Scanning and Digitisation: HP Document Scanner; Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
4. Environmental Conditions
* Children’s data were collected within the routine school day, typically in a classroom environment.
* Adult questionnaires were completed during final SSP concerts at Liverpool Cathedral or remotely via QR code/flyer.
* No experimental manipulation occurred; the study was entirely observational and reflective.

Data Sources and Individuals Involved
Primary Data Sources:
1. Online Questionnaire Responses
o Completed by 24 adult participants (parents, carers, teachers) whose children were involved in the Spring 2023 Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme.
o Recruited via Liverpool Cathedral’s music ministry and during final concerts via printed flyers with QR code access.
2. Children’s Choir Journals
o Completed by 288 children aged 6–11 years across 9 primary schools in the Liverpool City Region during their participation in the SSP (April–July 2023).
o Journals were filled out weekly during classroom sessions, supported by teachers and collected by the researcher at the end of term.
Key Individuals Involved:
Dataset Creator and Lead Analyst:
* Prof. Simone Krüger Bridge
Professor of Cultural Musicology, Liverpool John Moores University
o Designed all data collection instruments (questionnaire and journal).
o Led data collection, coding and mixed-methods analysis.
o Authored the accompanying research report and dataset documentation.
Supporting Contributors:
* Stephen Mannings – Director of Music, Liverpool Cathedral
* Mitch Holland – Choral Outreach Lead, Liverpool Cathedral
* Chris Newton & Finlay Gordon – SSP Music Leaders
o Provided access to participating schools and supported the distribution and collection of journals.
o Involved in contextualising data during focus group discussions.
* Grace Belcher, Christopher Deacon – Research Assistants
o Scanned children’s hand-written journals and manually transcribed contents into a structured Jisc Online Survey replica to ensure consistency.
o Supported analysis stage via literature search, proof-reading and final review of research report.  
Participating Institutions:
* Liverpool Cathedral Music Department – Oversaw SSP programme delivery and participant recruitment.
* 16 Primary Schools across Liverpool City Region – Participated in SSP; 9 schools contributed journal data.
Institutional Affiliation and Ethics:
* The study was conducted under the ethical guidelines of Liverpool John Moores University, with full ethics approval for research with human participants (including minors).
* Data collection was carried out in alignment with GDPR and UKRI standards for responsible research data management.
A full account of the research design, instruments and analytical framework underpinning the dataset is available in the following works:
1. Krüger Bridge, Simone (2025). Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme: A Research Evaluation of the Educational, Cultural, Social and Wellbeing Value for Primary School Children. Liverpool John Moores University.
– This research report presents the comprehensive methodology, including mixed-methods data collection, analytical strategies and ethical considerations, alongside the study’s key findings.
2. Krüger Bridge, Simone (under review). “Choral Participation for Human Flourishing: Evaluating the Impact of the Liverpool Cathedral Schools Singing Programme.” British Journal of Music Education.
– This article discusses the theoretical and empirical foundations of the study, framing choral participation through the lens of sociocultural theory and the concept of human flourishing.
3. Krüger Bridge, Simone (in preparation). “Children’s Experiences of Choral Singing: Evaluating Reflexive Choir Journals with Primary School Pupils.” Music Education Research.
– This article focuses specifically on the design, use and interpretative analysis of children's reflexive choir journals as a method for capturing the lived experiences of young participants.

2025