Abstract
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a distressing and persistent anxious apprehension related to musical performance. The experience of MPA forces many musicians to give up performing or develop maladaptive coping mechanisms (e.g., avoidance or substance use), which can impact their career and wellbeing. High levels of MPA in students and vocalists are reported in the literature. Vocalists present a unique challenge for clinicians in that vocal and breathing mechanisms, required for performance, are negatively impacted when anxious. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of a range of psychological problems including social anxiety disorder (of which MPA may be indicated as a subtype). This study sought to investigate whether group-based ACT may be a feasible and effective intervention for MPA in Australian student vocalists and aimed to design an intervention that could be adopted by music education providers. Potential participants (N = 31) completed an online survey including demographic questions and outcome measures. Six vocal students (four females; two males; aged M = 20.33 years) with elevated MPA scores participated in the ACT for MPA group program and 3-month follow-up. Group sessions were 2 h each week for six consecutive weeks. Participants were followed up 3 months post-intervention via online survey. There was a significant increase in psychological flexibility and significant decreases in MPA and psychological inflexibility. Gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. The current study offers preliminary evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of a group-based ACT protocol for musicians with performance anxiety which may be incorporated into tertiary performance training curricula.
Highlights
Performance anxiety is listed as a specifier for the diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), and it has been proposed that Music performance anxiety (MPA) may be a specific subtype of performance anxiety (Kenny, 2011)
The researchers noted that ACT shows promise as an effective treatment option for MPA and should be studied further (Juncos and Markman, 2016). These findings suggest that ACT may be of benefit to musicians with MPA; all studies were based on US populations and utilized an individual treatment design (Juncos and de Paiva e Pona, 2018)
Given the high frequency of debilitating MPA reported by tertiary student musicians (Tamborrino, 2001; Kaspersen and Gotestam, 2002; Williamon and Thompson, 2006) and initial empirical evidence for the effectiveness of ACT in tertiary student populations with mixed anxiety and with MPA and performance issues (Glaser et al, 2009; Juncos et al, 2017), we intended to design an intervention that could be adopted by music education providers and included in curricula to assist young musicians to understand and manage MPA early in their careers
Summary
Music performance can be thrilling and satisfying; for many performers who experience music performance anxiety (MPA) the stage can be frightening and threatening, leading many to give up performing or develop maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., substance use), which can impact their career and wellbeing (Kenny, 2011; Braden et al, 2015). Given the high frequency of debilitating MPA reported by tertiary student musicians (Tamborrino, 2001; Kaspersen and Gotestam, 2002; Williamon and Thompson, 2006) and initial empirical evidence for the effectiveness of ACT in tertiary student populations with mixed anxiety and with MPA and performance issues (Glaser et al, 2009; Juncos et al, 2017), we intended to design an intervention that could be adopted by music education providers and included in curricula to assist young musicians to understand and manage MPA early in their careers If successful, this model could potentially be adapted and implemented with a diverse population of musicians at different ages and stages of their career. To assess the specificity of the program for MPA, secondary investigations were conducted to determine potential transfer of therapeutic effects to depression, generalized anxiety, stress, and wellbeing
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