Perceived performance anxiety in advanced musicians specializing in different musical genres

Abstract

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 addressed questions exploring the perceived intensity of performance anxiety, the perceived contributing factors, changes in perceived anxiety levels as performances approached (one hour before, immediately before and during performance) and the perceived impact of performance on the quality of performance. Participants were 244 musicians, 170 undergraduates and 74 portfolio career musicians. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey. Findings suggested that performance anxiety was of concern for a significant majority of undergraduate and professional musicians. Musicians from all participating musical genres shared similar perceptions and concerns. Anxiety appeared to have negative connotations, although it was also reported as beneficial. Solo performance generated more anxiety compared to group performance. Overall, the impact of anxiety on performance was related to its perceived severity during performance, and was mediated by musicians’ performance experience and their general susceptibility to anxiety. The musical genre in which participants specialized affected their perceived anxiety levels. Western classical musicians were generally found to report higher levels of performance anxiety. This study has provided indications that musicians specializing in different musical genres may experience performance anxiety in quantitatively and qualitatively different ways. Further research would benefit from investigating factors contributing to these variations.

Managing performance anxiety and improving mental skills in conservatoire students through performance psychology training: a pilot study

“…Musicians transferring from the rehearsal studio to a concert performance demonstrate significant increases in heart rate and physical tension, which may or may not have a detrimental effect on their performance depending on whether they interpret those physiological as facilitating or debilitating to the performance (Connolly and Williamon 2004;Hanin 2010). A moderate amount of anxiety enhances performance when an individual's skill level matches the performance demands of the situation (Jackson and Csikszentmihalyi 1999), and the individual interprets that anxiety positively (Jones et al 1993;Papageorgi et al 2013). The typical "fight or flight" response in high anxiety states tends to motivate success oriented students to "fight", that is, to approach a performance situation and undertake the necessary preparation required to achieve optimal performance outcomes (Martin and Marsh 2008).…”

“…This is particularly important for musicians, given the broad range of triggers and symptoms of MPA (Kenny 2011;Papageorgi et al 2013;Roland 1994). Greene's Performance Success program (Greene 2002(Greene , 2012a) integrates a psychological performance skills assessment, the Performance Skills Inventory (PSI; Greene 2013), with 11 strategies drawing from music, education and sport performance psychology literature which are directly mapped to seven essential skills to optimise performance success under pressure.…”

Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version

“…Similarly, the Yerkes-Dodson law states that a zone of optimal performance is associated with certain trigger levels, above or below which performance inevitably decreases. Thus, performance anxiety is not always problematic (Herrera & Manjón, 2013;Papageorgi, Creech, & Welch, 2011). In some cases, however, it has been noted that performance anxiety can generate an inability to perform in public (Lee, 2002;Nagel, Himle, & Papsdorf, 1981, Wolfe, 1989.…”

Exploratory factor analysis of Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) in a Brazilian musician sample

“…The elements related to professional and environmental events associated with MPA and mentioned by Kenny et al 13 and Papageorgi et al 14 17 and Taborsky 18 , are not taken under consideration in the K-MPAI's items. This could be a limitation for the scale, since these variables are considered relevant in the literature and to the experience of MPA.…”