Music performance anxiety (MPA), a condition common among musicians, consists of an anxious state characterized by cognitive, psychological, and physiological arousal. Musicians often establish strategies for coping with MPA. The aim of the current study is to analyze the correlation between MPA factors and coping strategies, and to determine the relevance of coping strategies and other variables, such as gender, experience, and weekly hours of individual music practice, in predicting MPA. Data on MPA and coping strategies were collected using two questionnaires: the Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced-New Italian Version (COPE-NVI). The participants were 171 musicians divided into the following two groups: 97 advanced music conservatory students and 74 professional musicians. The results indicate that coping strategies based on demand of social support and avoidance strategies have a positive correlation with MPA. Advanced students reported higher levels of MPA than professional musicians. In addition, regression analysis provides evidence that variance in MPA can be explained in part by experience (professional musicians versus advanced students), hours of individual practice per week and coping strategies based on social support and avoidance strategies. The findings underscore the importance of understanding processes involved in MPA and the need to learn adaptive strategies for coping with stressful events.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university courses. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to examine perceived professional development. Focus groups have been conducted with the academic staff who participated in the project. Findings The results provided evidence that revising their curricula offered the participants an opportunity to discuss different principles, teaching methods, didactic processes and practices in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Several strategies emerged during curricula revision such as a positive attitude towards meta-cognitive strategies and a goal-oriented approach to curriculum planning. Moreover, the project induced the academic staff to reconsider their teaching methods. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is the restricted generalisability of the findings, because of the small number of participants. Further research is needed to confirm the theoretical model that emerged. Implications of the results for professional development and the induction of change in academic staff are also discussed. Originality/value There is little information about training experiences for enhancing professional development in academic staff using ESD principles, and this study provides a starting point. According to the results, the project had an impact on the participants’ attitudes, teaching principles and methods, course design skills and assessment approaches.

The profile of an effective instrumental and vocal music teacher includes many personal and professional\ud dimensions. Among them, teacher self-efficacy plays a key role and influences the evaluation of music\ud teachers’ effectiveness. Recent studies have identified several factors that affect one’s self-assessment of\ud efficacy. However, a comprehensive model of the predictors of music teachers’ self-efficacy still does not\ud exist. The aim of the current study was to identify factors that affect music teacher self-efficacy using a\ud quantitative approach. Three self-report questionnaires were administered to 160 instrumental and vocal\ud music teachers in Italy. Data about their beliefs on musical ability, teacher self-efficacy, and social skills\ud were collected to define a predictive model of teachers’ self-efficacy using a stepwise regression analysis.\ud In addition, an ANOVA was performed to examine group differences in music teacher self-efficacy and\ud intercorrelations among questionnaire scales were computed. The findings have shown that a general\ud score of music teacher self-efficacy can be predicted by a multidimensional model, including music teachers’\ud personal and professional traits, such as social skills, beliefs about musical ability, teaching experience, and\ud gender. Moreover, differences in specific aspects of teacher self-efficacy emerged in relation to participants’\ud gender and level of expertise. The impact of these results on music teachers’ education is discussed

Metacognition is a key component of musical performance. Metacognitive knowledge and skills are fundamental for musicians at all stages of their academic and professional career to allow them to structure, monitor, assess and, if needed, revise practice sessions toward specific performance goals. Research in music education has highlighted the impact that metacognition has on enhancing musical performance and the learning processes that characterize it. Expert musicians usually show a high level of metacognitive competence, which allows them to effectively self-regulate their learning activity while preparing for a performance. While professional musicians seem to have a wide range of learning strategies and skills, music students are not always aware of the importance of adopting a metacognitive approach in their learning process. In addition, the metacognitive dimension is not always explicitly addressed during music lessons, leaving students to adopt inefficacious learning strategies, or to repeatedly use sets of strategies in an incorrect manner. The aim of the current paper is to present and discuss the most recent studies on metacognition in music performance from an educational perspective that focuses on process as well as results. The role of metacognitive competence in musical activity will be discussed, first by examining the components of the metacognitive competence exhibited by expert musicians, and then by focusing on the impact of metacognition on music students’ learning. Educational implications for enhancing the learning experience of young musicians will also be discussed.

In ensemble performances, group members use particular bodily behaviors as a sort of “language” to supplement the lack of verbal communication. This article focuses on music regulators, which are defined as signs to other group members for coordinating performance. The following two music regulators are considered: body gestures for articulating attacks (a set of movements externally directed that are used to signal entrances in performance) and eye contact. These regulators are recurring observable behaviors that play an important role in non-verbal communication among ensemble members. To understand how they are used by chamber musicians, video recordings of two string quartet performances (Quartet A performing Bartók and Quartet B performing Haydn) were analyzed under two conditions: a low stress performance (LSP), undertaken in a rehearsal setting, and a high stress performance (HSP) during a public recital. The results provide evidence for more emphasis in gestures for articulating attacks (i.e., the perceived strength of a performed attack-type body gesture) during HSP than LSP. Conversely, no significant differences were found for the frequency of eye contact between HSP and LSP. Moreover, there was variability in eye contact during HSP and LSP, showing that these behaviors are less standardized and may change according to idiosyncratic performance conditions. Educational implications are discussed for improving interpersonal communication skills during ensemble performance.