Abstract
Music performance anxiety (MPA) can be distressing for many young people studying music, and may negatively impact upon their ability to cope with the demands and stressors of music education. It can also lead young people to give up music or to develop unhealthy coping habits in their adult music careers. Minimal research has examined the effectiveness of psychological programs to address MPA in young musicians. Sixty-two adolescents were pseudo-randomized to a cognitive behavioral (CB) group-delivered intervention or a waitlist condition. The intervention consisted of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and relaxation techniques, identification of strengths, goal-setting, imagery and visualization techniques to support three solo performances in front of judges. Significant reductions in self-rated MPA were found in both groups following the intervention and compared to their baseline MPA. This reduction was maintained at 2-months follow-up. There appeared to be inconsistent effects of the intervention upon judge-rated MPA, however the presence of floor effects precluded meaningful reductions in MPA. There appeared to be no effect of the intervention upon judge-rated performance quality. This study highlights the potential for group-based CB programs to be delivered within school music curricula to help young musicians develop skills to overcome the often debilitating effects of MPA.
Highlights
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is “the experience of intense and persistent anxious apprehension related to musical performance” (Kenny, 2010, p. 433)
Data from child and adolescent musicians has revealed that their experience of MPA is similar in quality and intensity to that experienced by adult musicians (Smith and Rickard, 2004; Osborne et al, 2005; Ryan, 2005; Kenny and Osborne, 2006; Osborne and Kenny, 2008)
Given that most professional musicians begin their training before the age of 12 years (Nagel, 1987), there have been calls to include early interventions for MPA within school music curricula, alongside music theory and instrumental technique (Nagel, 2009; Khalsa et al, 2013; Thomas and Nettelbeck, 2014)
Summary
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is “the experience of intense and persistent anxious apprehension related to musical performance” (Kenny, 2010, p. 433). Given that most professional musicians begin their training before the age of 12 years (Nagel, 1987), there have been calls to include early interventions for MPA within school music curricula, alongside music theory and instrumental technique (Nagel, 2009; Khalsa et al, 2013; Thomas and Nettelbeck, 2014) This notion of early intervention is supported by research revealing that performance anxiety appears to be a topic of concern for young musicians, but one that they feel is not adequately addressed by teachers and institutions (Fehm and Schmidt, 2006; Ryan and Andrews, 2009)
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