Performance anxiety while performing

music
Huanhuan Xie
Sophie RW5

Outline

Abstract
Introduction
Music Performance Anxiety
1. What is music performance anxiety
2. Reason/cause
Symptoms of Performance Anxiety
1. Physical
2. Psychology
Performance Anxiety among different people
1. Children and adolescents
2. Girls and boys
3. Reasons affect different people to have anxiety
Solutions of Performance Anxiety
1. self-report
2. summarize
References

Table of contents

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Music Performance Anxiety
4. Symptoms of Music Performance Anxiety
5. Music Performance Anxiety in different groups
6. Measurements of Performance Anxiety
7. Reference

Abstract
This research will identify the definition and features of performance anxiety. In addition,
it includes some methods to treat music performance anxiety. Most people study the music, they
have common trouble about nervous and anxiety while they performing music. However, the
performance anxiety will results some problems for performers whoever professional or amature,
such as losing the enjoyment for music, decreasing the quality of performance. Even some of
them will give up music finally. According to the different scientific analysis and database, the
research will show the explanation of Music Performance Anxiety which is phobia that makes
people have some reactions such as psychological symptoms and physical symptoms. Also, these
reactions will lead poor performance and other results. Later on, the paper will gives more
explanation. In addition, different groups of people have different degree of Music Performance
Anxiety. Children and adolescents have different effect from performance anxiety. Different
gender also has different performance anxiety. There are comparison between these different

groups. Although there are no ways to overcome totally Music Performance Anxiety, some
solutions can be useful for reducing the anxiety. The paper will introduce some ways that helpful
for performance anxiety.

Introduction
Music performance anxiety have became a considerable problem among performers
whoever amature musicians, or professional musicians. It is also not an exception for famous
musicians. Frederic Chopin was once quoted as saying I am not fitted to give concerts. The
audience intimidates me, I feel choked by its breath, paralysed by its curious glances, struck
dumb by all those strange faces,(as cited by Bard, 2011). Moreover, other famous performers
who are George Harrison, George Harrison, Cat Power. They all struggle with music
performance anxiety (Board, 2011). For example, George Harrison who was one of the Beatles
fame, and an Indie Rock singer named Cat Power, both of them had unpleasant influence by
music performance anxiety. Cat had to cancel her 2006 concert because she could not control her
anxiety and nervous. Many superstars had the experience such as forgot lyrics and interrupt the
music. Therefore, even the skillful people, it is very common to see that they also have trouble
with performance anxiety.
Music Performance Anxiety will results poor quality of performance and influence career
of performances. Studying music is very happy and enjoyable issue. However, since many
people have problem of this, so whey suffered from many times of poor performance, they will
lose the interest of music, even they will give up music. To reduce these things happening, there
are some solutions can help people. According to the research which named Music Performance

Anxiety Inventory, it mentioned that people can reduce performance anxiety by recording the
self-report, it is clear to see how is the tendency of anxiety that performers have. Another is selfsummary. If people have higher tendency of their performance anxiety, they should summarize
each strengths and weaknesses by themselves first, and combine the opinions from others, so
they can learn more about feedback and improve themselves very quickly. Once they improved a
lot, their confidence can also be improved to reduce the performance anxiety.

Music Performance Anxiety

Music Performance Anxiety is a type of social anxiety. DSM-III-R, the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association,
offers a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. It
divided Music Performance Anxiety into social phobia. This kind of social phobia reacts in a
special situation such as public and stage, which makes performers feel extremely worrying and
fearing, and it will keep anxiety in a long time until the environment makes performers feel
relaxed and without nervous. The reason that makes performers are easier to have phobia in
public or stage is fear.
Performers usually need to spend long time to decide which pieces they can do, and then
they need more time to practice repeatedly. During this process, they need to figure out the
strengths and weaknesses in each time of practicing. Moreover, they usually need to memorize
their pieces. Since all of these steps need very long period to prepare, so it is common to see that
performers want to try their best to make a perfect performing to prove it is worth for them to
spend long time on practicing. However, the more perfect play they want, the more occasionally

mistakes that they need to consider. Performers will fear that they may act in a humiliating or
embarrassing manner (James, n.d.). Moreover, if performers failed in their concerts, it will affect
their careers and self-esteem (Goldberg,2013). Performers are afraid of mistakes while
performing. Generally, their concerts are supported by sponsors and companies, these supporters
spent a lot of money to provide stage, advertise, plans and so on. Therefore, the concert is not
only depends on performers, it also relies on a team to plan everything for a concert. If
performers fail in their concert, it means all of the supporting are nonsense, and audience will
think this performer is unprofessional and they will not buy tickets again to listen their concerts.
Therefore, losing support from audience and companies will seriously affect performers career,
and they will lose esteem and enjoyments on music. Thus, these elements make performers are
easier to produce anxiety. Also, this anxiety results people have some anxious and nervous
behaviors. According to a study by Heimberg, Hope, Dodge, & Becker, they found that people
who have performance anxiety (as well as social phobia), they have vastly increasing of heart
rate while they are performing and underestimating the quality of their performance when they
performed in public. Moreover, Turner & Beidel found that when people performed in public,
their blood pressure was increased quickly in a short time, they classified this anxious reactions
into psychological reaction. Basically, Music Performance Anxiety is a social phobia makes
performers have intensive psychological and physical reactions.

Symptoms of Music Performance Anxiety

Different physical reactions are one of the features of music performance anxiety. Chorus
America, a National organization to develop and promote professional, volunteer and youth

choruses (2014) writes that a chorus singer named Wendy Nixon Stothert, her speed of breathing
was often increased when she stood on the stage. It is terrible for singer because breath is the
root of singing. Also, she can not control her body as well. Breath is the motor of the vocal
mechanism and it is important for free and relaxed singing. The good voice is from no pressure
from the shoulders, neck, jaw, or eyebrows(Wilson, 1991). If singers cannot manage their body
and breath speed, their quality of the voice will not perfect. Moreover, Lyness (2014) states that
anxiety disorder also can influence muscles normal function. In this case, anxiety makes
muscles become tight and hard to control, so it is terrible for performers who play instruments.
For example, pianist will have trouble to move their hands back and forth because of hard and
tight muscles. Also, their fingers will have trouble with run very quickly because of tight
muscles. Moreover, tight muscles also influence facial expression of musicians who are singers
and instrumental performers. The facial expression will not nature if muscles are in a nervous
situation. Therefore, different physical reactions such as fast breath, tight muscles are the
symptoms of performance anxiety.
The second symptom of music performance anxiety is psychological reactions. Abnormal
Psychological reactions can interrupt the working of brains. Wendy mentioned in her interview
from Chorus America, she often forgot the lyrics and had suddenly interruption in her brain when
she felt nervous. Moreover, psychology influence the recognition from the brains (Waytz, 2010).
If performers feel too nervous, the feeling will stimulate their psychology become very intensive
and make the brain has heavier burden. In this case, performers will become too stress to
remember previous thing that they had remembered. Furthermore, too intensive psychology
makes their brain cannot recall the memory in a short time. Therefore, temporarily lose memory
is caused by nervous psychology that is the symptom of music performance anxiety.

Music Performance Anxiety among different people

Different groups of people have different degree of Music Performance Anxiety. Children
usually do not have too much anxiety while performing. They have a little bit less of the
psychological anxiety than adolescents (Chorus in America, 2014). Moreover, adolescents are
also more likely to evaluate themselves in terms of academic and other achievements (Heaven,
2001). Adolescents are more like to imagine other peoples opinions about whether they agree
with their performance. However, these imagines usually make them have negative thinking of
themselves and heavier burden of worrying. For example, Wendy mentioned that when she
taught a chorus which involved both children and adolescents. Before they went to the stage,
adolescents did not have many communication and their face looks very nervous. Many of them
noticed peers about mistakes which they are easier to make in normal practice, and they always
care the grades of other groups which they will compete with because they want to get the first
award. In contrast, children who are in the chorus are more active as same with their normal
practice, and even some of them ask what if they have mistakes. It is obvious to see that
children do not have heavier burden of the results of chorus competition and they are more
relaxed. Therefore, adolescents show more performance anxiety than children.
Boys have more performance anxiety than girls. According to the
research which named Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (MPAI), boys
had significantly more anxious behaviors than girls during the performance.
Moreover, there is an another survey named Average of years of age and of
flute practice (2012), it showed that men present higher increase in

reported anxiety level ( = 0.852) than women do ( = 0.355). Generally,

boys anxiety are higher and frequent than girls. The reason is the difference
of psychology between boys and girls. During the practice, boys usually
convince they spend several times to practice are enough, and they can also
do well on the stage. However, girls are more like to practice a lot to promise
they had prepared enough (Chad, 2011). Girls are more like to prepare
carefully and thoroughly than boys. In contrast, boys do not prepare enough but they also
want good quality performance so that they have higher anxiety.
There are many reasons Music Performance Anxiety can be different among different
people. Although people have done a lot of research, there still exist many potential reasons and
need to prove. A lot of statements about performance anxiety are based on speculation and biased
assessment rather than on research results (Hamann 1982). The deeper research of this issue are
in the process. However, Kemp (1996) states that there has a correlation between personality
types and performance anxiety. Every person has different characteristic, some people are
outgoing, some people are shy. For example, Willard (1783) states in his book, Czerny -- 30
New Studies in Technique, Op. 849, Czerny, an Australian composer, had excellent skills to
become a performer and can be played in concert, but he was naturally shy so he thought he
could not become a good performer. Afterwards, he chose to become a teacher that will not have
many anxiety. Some people might have delicate skills, but if they are very shy, they will more
easier to have performance anxiety. Therefore, people can see the personality can affects anxiety.

Although Music Performance anxiety is a problem for performances and it is common,

there are some solutions that would be helpful for people.

Measurements of Performance Anxiety

People can know how is the degree of their performance anxiety by self-report. US
national Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (2015) reported that, it is effective for
performers to see how much they have anxiety of performing changed in their self-report. In
other words, performers who use self-report can write down their feelings after they finish their
performing. After a period of the time, they can find whether their anxiety is reduced or not. For
example, when the performers finish their first performance, and then they immediately record if
they are relaxed, excited, a little nervous or very nervous in the self-report. Next time, they
record again and again. After one months, they go back to see their self-report, they can find the
tendency of their performance anxiety. If the tendency is higher than each time, they need to pay
more attention to find solutions. According to different results from self-report, they can use
corresponding methods to overcome anxiety. They are several methods that could helpful for
people such as do self summary and do mental practice.
People can reduce performance anxiety by summarizing each performing experience. To
learn summarizing is a good method to help performers to know their strengths and weaknesses.
Performers need to know their shortages and fix them on time in order to improve skills quickly.
Moreover, they need to combine opinions from other people and personal opinions (Sinclair,
n.d.). If performers not do evaluation for themselves, they will keep the shortages all the time.
Those shortages will influence their quality of performance. Moreover, when they absorb more
opinions from different people and fix them, they will have better capability so that they will
become more confident on performing. Therefore, they will not have much anxiety and worried
of their performance.

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than you think.
Carole. (2011, December 5). A discussion on performance anxiety.
Chad. (2011, June 7). Why Gender Matters in Music Performance Anxiety.
Goldberg, J. (2013, May 4). Anxiety & Panic Disorders Health Center.
Kenneth, S. (1997). Training the Speaking Voice Through Singing.
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