Abstract
Studies in sport psychology show that using a pre-performance routine (PPR), a set of cognitive and behavioral elements, prior to performing, optimizes sport performance under pressure. We attempt to extend this effect to music performance, employing individually developed PPRs based on the centering technique. The hypothesis is that musicians with a PPR perform better and experience higher self-efficacy under pressure than participants with a control, goal-setting intervention. Thirty violin performance students performed an audition excerpt in a low-pressure pretest and a high-pressure posttest. Pressure was induced by the presence of an audience and a jury. Half of the students practiced their individualized PPRs during a 5-week period between performances, whereas the other half applied a goal-setting intervention to their practice. Participants’ music performance was measured by five expert jurors and self-evaluations. The results showed that both intervention techniques were perceived as equally helpful by the participants, but this did not translate into jurors’ performance evaluations. There were no significant differences between the PPR and goal-setting groups in music performance, but the PPR group had higher self-efficacy in the posttest than the goal-setting group. Future studies should include a third group without any intervention.
Highlights
Studies in sport psychology show that using a pre-performance routine (PPR), a set of cognitive and behavioral elements, prior to performing, optimizes sport performance under pressure
Many professional musicians report suffering from music performance anxiety (MPA) and disturbed attention during public performance (Buma, Bakker, & Oudejans, 2015)
We focused on only one instrument to avoid bias in the evaluation of music performance quality (Thompson & Williamon, 2003)
Summary
Studies in sport psychology show that using a pre-performance routine (PPR), a set of cognitive and behavioral elements, prior to performing, optimizes sport performance under pressure. Successful performance under pressure is crucial in music (Oudejans, Spitse, Kralt, & Bakker, 2017) and sports (Mesagno & Mullane-Grant, 2010) Both musicians and athletes need to be able to show their best in stressful situations, such as an audition or a championship. There are numerous studies aiming at reducing MPA through distal methods such as extensive mental skills training, therapeutic treatment, and medication (for a review, see Brugués, 2011) These distal methods may minimize the experience of anxiety, but when anxiety has already developed and exceeded an optimal and facilitative level (on stage, for example), it would be important to have a proximal technique on hand, such as a PPR, that reduces the elevated anxiety, prevents distraction, and refocuses attention. Given that the performance of rehearsed solo repertoire constitutes a self-paced, closed skill (Colwell, 2006), the PPR intervention may be especially relevant for auditions and concerts, where well-rehearsed pieces of music are being performed
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