The role of coping strategy and experience in predicting music performance anxiety (original) (raw)

Music performance anxiety: perceived causes, coping strategies and clinical profiles of Brazilian musicians

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 2019

Introduction Music performance anxiety (MPA) is characterized by long-lasting, high intensity apprehension associated with performing music in public. At extreme levels, MPA can impair the career and quality of life. Our goal is to describe the clinical profile, perceived causes and coping strategies associated with MPA. Methods In this cross-sectional study, several self-assessment instruments were administered to a sample of 214 Brazilian musicians (68% male, 53.3% classical/46.7% popular musicians). Data were analyzed using descriptive and parametric statistics, based on the variables of musical training and level of MPA. Results Percentages of indicators of pathology were high (40% high MPA levels, 37% social anxiety, 12.5% depression, 13.5% alcohol abuse), and musicians with high MPA levels were the most affected. A wide variety of situations were associated with MPA, especially those related to the individual (pressure from self/concern about audience). Emotion-focused coping ...

Music Performance Anxiety in an Education Environment

This research asks whether music students would benefit if Musicians Performance Anxiety (MPA) and coping strategies were included in the education syllabus. To assess the demand for MPA education within a music program, music students from three tertiary institutes were asked about their experience with MPA via an online questionnaire. Furthermore, case studies were done via one on one interviews where participants were encouraged to discuss their experiences with MPA in greater detail. A significant amount of music students suffer from medium to severe MPA and have considered giving up their dream job because their anxiety is so debilitating. It is hoped this research will open a dialogue about MPA within tertiary music institutions and provide possible coping strategies for those students that struggle with the condition.

Performance anxiety experiences and coping techniques of Turkish music students and their teachers

International Journal of Music Education, 2021

This study investigated the music performance anxiety experiences of musicians in Turkey ( N = 270), including their physical and cognitive symptoms of anxiety, their methods of coping with performance stress, and their perceived need for related resources. Analysis of the data revealed statistically significant differences in gender, with female music students reporting more frequent performance anxiety symptoms than male students. Reported physical and cognitive symptoms varied across age groups. The anxiety management solutions mentioned most frequently among students included increasing practice and self-motivation; other solutions included engaging in informal performances, practicing meditation or breathing exercises, or relying on medication or alcohol. Almost a quarter (23.5%) of students surveyed indicated they do not know how to manage their anxiety or have not found a workable solution. When asked what additional resources were needed, a third of music students and half o...

Perceived performance anxiety in advanced musicians specializing in different musical genres

Psychology of Music, 2011

Most research on musical performance anxiety has focused on musicians coming from a classical background, and performance anxiety experiences of musicians outside the western classical genre remain under-researched. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived performance anxiety experiences in undergraduate and professional musicians and to explore whether musical genre specialization (Western classical, jazz, popular, Scottish traditional) affected musicians' performance anxiety experiences. The study ...

Music performance anxiety: Origins, phenomenology, assessment and treatment. In Special Issue: Renegotiating musicology

This special edition of the International Journal of Stress Management presents seven papers addressing performance anxiety in a number of areas of human endeavor (sexual performance, music performance, test-taking, sport, and work) and as a group, they illuminate underlying differences and commonalities across different domains of human performance. This novel convergence of papers on performance anxiety will assist researchers in the field to synthesize the various domain findings into a meta-theory of performance anxiety.

Development of a performance anxiety scale for music students

In the present research, the Performance Anxiety Scale for Music Students (PASMS) was developed in three successive studies. In Study 1, the factor structure of PASMS was explored and three components were found: fear of stage (FES), avoidance (AVD) and symptoms (SMP). The internal consistency of the subscales of PASMS, which consisted of 27 items, varied between 0.89 and 0.91. The internal consistency for the whole scale was found to be 0.95. The correlations among PASMS and other anxiety-related measures were significant and in the expected direction, indicating that the scale has convergent validity. The construct validity of the scale was assessed in Study 2 by confirmatory factor analysis. After several revisions, the final tested model achieved acceptable fits. In Study 3, the 14-day test-retest reliability of the final 24-item version of PASMS was tested and found to be extremely high (0.95). In all three studies, the whole scale and subscale scores of females were significantly higher than for males.

Music performance anxiety: New insights from young musicians

Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 2006

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a relatively neglected psychological phenomenon that rarely appears in mainstream psychological journals or textbooks. To date, this field of inquiry has focused primarily on professional and amateur adult musicians or college level music students. With the exception of a small number of recent additions to the literature, there have been few studies examining the experience of MPA in younger musicians. In this paper, we review our work on MPA in general, and summarize our recent work with young musicians. We argue that the experience of MPA may begin early in a musical career and that the characteristics of this experience are qualitatively similar to those experienced by adult musicians. There are therefore compelling reasons to address MPA early and to take a strong preventive focus on a condition that to date shows persistence over time and only modest response to available treatments.

Mental skills for musicians: Managing music performance anxiety and enhancing performance

Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2012

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a short-term mental skills intervention on reducing music performance anxiety and enhancing performance. Thirty-three musicians, including students, amateurs, and professionals, volunteered to participate (ages 19 to 66 years, mean ϭ 42.09, standard deviation ϭ 15.18). Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group (cognitive restructuring; N ϭ 15) or a wait-list control group (N ϭ 18). A provisionally registered psychologist taught participants mental skills strategies in three 1-hr, psychoeducational workshops. Selfreport, behavioral, and physiological indicators of anxiety and performance quality were collected pretest and posttest. Self-report measures were also taken for the treatment group at a 1-month follow-up. We hypothesized anxiety reduction and performance enhancement in the treatment group from pre-to posttest, and that the benefits of treatment would be maintained or strengthened at the 1-month follow-up. Results revealed a significant reduction in self-reported anxiety, a significant increase in performance quality in the treatment group, and a significant decrease in performance quality in the wait-list control group. The follow-up assessment revealed a significant decrease in self-reported anxiety. No other significant differences were observed.

Music performance anxiety in ensemble rehearsals and concerts: A comparison of music and non-music major undergraduate musicians

Psychology of Music, 2017

This study assessed music performance anxiety (MPA) in ensemble rehearsals and concerts in 278 undergraduate non-music and music majors drawn from 10 Mid-Atlantic institutions in the US to examine the prevalence and experience of MPA in non-music major undergraduates and to determine whether MPA severity differed between non-music majors and music majors. Results for undergraduate non-music majors using the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory Revised (K-MPAI-r, Kenny, 2009) revealed cognitive, somatic, affective, and behavioral symptoms. Depression, being an instrumentalist, female, and having had a music performance breakdown made significant contributions to K-MPAI-r scores; depression made the strongest unique contribution to prediction of severity of MPA. Greater self-efficacy was correlated with lower MPA for both rehearsals and concert performances. Overall, MPA and depression indicator scores for the sample were higher than other groups that have been previously evaluat...