music and evaluation

Evaluation and Performance Anxiety in Music Study

By Nancy Mitchell

Abstract: For many music students, performance anxiety is an all too common experience. This anxiety is often more pronounced in evaluative settings, as students are atuare of the higher stakes attached to the performance. This article explores some of the reasons for performance anxiety and the characteristics of evaluations that make anxiety more likely. It concludes with some practical suggestions for helping students manage anxiety so that they can achieve their full potential, even when being evaluated. For many musicians of all ages and levels of experience, performance anxiety is an all too common experience (Brugues, 2011, p. 102; Boucher & Ryan, 2011, p. 330). While anxiety can occur in any performance setting, it is often heightened in evaluative situations. In some cases, students' experiences with anxiety can be so traumatizing that the overall experience of performing and of being evaluated becomes a negative one. While test anxiety is common in all fields, the personal vulnerability that is involved in an artistic performance can easily increase stress levels. This article will explore the connection between evaluation and anxiety and will offer some practical suggestions for helpitig studetits who are struggling with anxiety. Performance anxiety is the psychological, physiological, and behavioural reaction to stressful situations, such as public performances and tests. In the case of music study, conservatory exams, juries, playing tests, and other types of performances include both a public and an evaluative aspect, making these kinds of events particularly anxiety-inducing. In addition to the internal pressure students might feel to get a good result, there is the external pressure of having an audi32 FALL 2011

ence who will also know if the student has succeeded or failed. Unlike a written test, where students usually have the opportunity to consider their responses and change or modify them if necessary, a music performance affords only one opportunity for students to demonstrate what they can do. An effective performance must be not only correct, but also creative, emotional, and communicative (Davidson, Pitts, &C Correia, 2001, p. 54). It is this expressive element that often becomes particularly difficult to convey when one is experiencing high levels of anxiety. Performance anxiety often increases when the student attaches a high level of importance to the results of the evaluation (Yoshie, Kudo, Murakoshi, & Ohtsuki, 2009, p. 117). For some students, the results of evaluative performances form the basis for their sense of identity as a musician. Students might consider themselves to be competent musicians because they have won competitions or achieved first class honours designations on conservatory exams. Evaluation also shapes the course of many students' musical educations (Tye, 2004, p. 3), as it is the gate through which students must pass in order to earn course credits, pass conservatory grades, or win places in ensembles and courses of higher study. As a result, students experience considerable pressure to make sure that they perform at their best "when it counts." Students who have made large investments of time and energy in succeeding in evaluations will likely experience significant disappointment if they experience failure. The failure becomes even more devastating if it changes the future course of the student's involvement in music. For some students, particularly

those who are extensively involved in music study, it is not only their identity as tiiusicians that is at stake when they perfortn, but also their overall sense of self-worth. Students who identify strongly as musicians can easily feel that they are somehow less if they perform poorly on an evaluation or receive a result that was lower than expected. When a student is anticipating a potential blow to his or her self-worth and self-esteem, he or she is likely to experience high levels of anxiety leading up to and during a performance (Sinden, 1999). Because of the high stakes attached to the results of some evaluative performances, the adjudicator occupies a very elevated position (Abel &c Larkin, 1990, p. 172; Brotons, 1994, p. 63). It is his or her responsibility to assess, in a very limited amount of time, whether or not the student has met the requirements to win the competition or pass the exam. The marks and ranks assigned by adjudicators are often viewed as being more objective and more valid than self-assessment or assessment by the student's regular teacher, making evaluative performances much more stressful for students than playing for their teachers or performing in recitals for an audience of family and friends. Students prepare for evaluative performances with the adjudicator in mind, trying to anticipate what he or she will want to hear (Davidson & Scutt, 1999, p. 83). While some criteria are easy enough to predict (correct notes and rhythms, confident memorization), the final mark or rank can be influenced by many factors, some not even musical (Bergee & Platt, 2003, p. 350; Ryan, Wapnick, Lacaille & Darrow, 2006, p. 569). This lack of predictability can present a concern, as students are more likely

to become anxious if they feel that the outcome of the evaluation is outside of their control. The quality of a performance can be affected in various ways by anxiety. For students who only experience mild nervousness, performance anxiety can actually increase the quality of the performance, as the adrenaline results in a heightened focus. The performance becomes more vibrant and more exciting for both the musician and the audience than it would be if that nervous energy were absent. However, for other students, performance anxiety can be debilitating (Sinden, 1999). Students who experience strong physical symptoms, such as shaking, nausea, or dry mouth, or negative emotions such as fear or hopelessness, can have great difficulty focusing on the music they are about to perform. Not only do the symptoms themselves detract from the performance, but the sense of the loss of control increases the level of anxiety. The vicious circle of anxiety.

are adequate for the task (Cziksentmihalyi, 1991 ). In situations where the teacher is conducting the evaluation him- or herself (for example, in a school classroom), it is extremely helpful for students to be given clear instructions regarding the criteria and methods of evaluation that will be employed. Adequate practice time and guidance regarding effective practice strategies are also important. Teachers can also provide examples of performances that they would rate highly, although this approach should be used with some caution so that students do not feel that they have to imitate a particular performance in order to be successful. Many of the above strategies are also effective when the student is preparing for an evaluation to be conducted by an outside adjudicator. However, it is more difficult for students and their teachers to predict exactly what the adjudicator will be hoping to hear. Teachers can glean as much information as possible through thorough readings of

"I listened today with different ears. I found music I never heard before. And I created music I never knew I had."
symptoms, loss of control, and more anxiety can make the act of performing extremely difficult or even traumatizing. Since anxiety can negatively impact the results of an evaluation and since the experience of anxiety itself can have a profound impact on how students view their overall experience of learning music (Kenny, 2010), it is important for teachers to be able to help their students deal with anxiety. Many strategies can provide effective short-term relief of anxiety, such as visualizing success, gradual desensitization to the stressful situation, or breathing and relaxation techniques. However, these will not necessarily address the root causes of students' anxiety surrounding evaluation. While students with severe performance anxiety could benefit from the expertise of a trained psychologist who could implement treatments such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Nagel, 2010, p. 141 ), there are ways that teachers can also help to mitigate the negative effects of performance anxiety on their students. Imparting a sense of control to the student is imperative in helping to assuage anxiety. Students who feel well-prepared for the evaluation will be more likely to approach the performance with confidence, as they know that their skills syllabi, through attending workshops and through conversations with colleagues, in addition to relying on their own experience as students. No matter how well-prepared the student is, the results of the performance can never be predicted with certainty. Because the final evaluation is outside the student's control, having intrinsic goals such as enjoyment and expression can help students feel a sense of satisfaction even if the mark or rank turns out to be less than they had hoped (Lacaille, Koestner, &C Gaudreau, 2007, p. 252). Perhaps the most important thing teachers can do to help students deal with anxiety is to foster students' sense of self-worth apart from results. This means first of all that teachers must value their students for reasons other than performance. Teachers who are confident in their own abilities are musicians and educators do not need to depend on their students results for personal validation or for reputation building (Tye, 2004, p. 9). However, the pressure to achieve does not come only from teachers. In some families, there is a strong expectation that the student gets top results in every evaluation (MacArthur, 2008). Some students are able to cope with this stress, but for others, it can be overwhelming. While teachers cannot change the dy-

namics of the families in which their students live, they can still have a positive impact on students' stress levels by emphasizing hard work and improvement over one-time results and enjoyment over high-stakes performances. Providing a safe, nurturing classroom or studio environment in which failure is seen as an opportunity for growth can help students achieve a more balanced view of themselves and their music studies (Bartel and Cameron, 2004). While performance anxiety is a very common experience for music students, and is often exacerbated by evaluative situations, it does not need to be debilitating. Teachers can offer their students practical short-term solutions to make anxiety more manageable. However, even more important is helping students develop confidence in their performing abilities through thorough preparation. Above all else, students need to know that they will be accepted and valued regardless of the results they achieve. This security can help them approach performances with confidence and enjoyment as they share their musical ideas in performance, even if the performance is being evaluated.
References Abel, J. L., & Urkin, K. T. (1990). Anticipation of performance among musicians: Physiological arousal,confidence, and state-anxiery. Psychology of Musk, JS, 171-182. Bartel, L. & Cameron, L. (2004). From dilemmas to experience: Shaping the conditions of learning. In L. Bartel (ed.) Questioning the Music Education Paradigm, (pp. 39-61). Waterloo, Ontario: Canadian Music Educators Association. Bergee, M. J., & Platt, M. C. (2003). Influence of selected variables on solo and small-ensemble festival ratings. Journal of Research in Music Education, SI{4), 342-353. Boucher, H. and Ryan, C A . (2011). Performance stress and the very young musician. Journal of Research in Music Education, 5S(4), 329-345. Brotons, M. (1994). Effects of performing conditions on music performance anxiety and performance quality. younjij/o/^MMs/i: Therapy, 31(1), 63-81. Brugues, A.O. (2011 ). Music performance anxiety part 1. A review of its epidemiology. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 26(2), 102-105. Cziksentmihaiyi, Mihaly (1991). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics. Davidson, J. W., Pitts, S. E., and Correia, J. S. (2001). Reconciling technical and expressive elements in musical instrument teaching: working with children, youma/o^Aesifcefic Education, 3.^3), 51-62. Davidson, J. & Scutt.S. (1999). Instrumental teaching with exams in mind: a case study investigating teacher, student and parent interactions before, during and after a music examination. British
Journal of Music Education, 16 (1), 7 9 - 9 5 .

Kenny, D.T. (2010). The role of negative emotions in performance anxiety. In P. N. Juslin and J. A.SIoboda (eds.) Handbook of music and emotion: Theory, research, applications, (pp. 425-451). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press. Lacaille, N., Koestner, R., and Gaudreau, P. (2007). On the value of intrinsic rather than traditional achievement goals: A short-term prospective study. International Journal of Music Education, 25 (3), 245-257.

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MacArthur, L. J. (2008). The drive to strive: Exploring the experiences of elite-level adolescent artistic performers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Toronto, Canada. Nagel, J.J. (2010). Treatment of music performance anxiety via psychological approaches: A review of selected CBT and psychodynamic literature. Medical Prohlems of Performing Artists, 25(4), 145-148. Ryan, C , Wapnick, J., Lacaille, N., & Darrow, A. (2006). The effects of various physical characteristics of high-level performers on adjuilicators' performance ratings. Psychology of Music, 341,4), 559-572. Sinden, L. M. (1999). Music performance anxiety: Contributions of perfectionism, coping style, self-efficacy, and self esteem. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of Arizona. Tye, J. K.-C. (2004). A survey of the current status and practices of piano teachers in Penang. Malaysia: Preparation for the practical piano examinations ofthe Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music, London. Unpublished D.M.A. dissertation. University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America. Yoshie, M., Kudo, K., Murakoshi, T., and Ohtsuki, T. (2009). Music performance anxiety in skilled pianists: effects of social-evaluative performance situation on subjective, autonomie, and electromyographic reactions. Experimental Brain Research, 199(2), 117-126. Nancy Mitchell is a Ph.D. candidate in the Music Education department at the University ot Toronto, where she is conducting research into how piano students experience participating in evaluative performances. Her teaching experience includes both private piano teaching and elementary vocal and instrumental music. She holds a M,Mus, degree from the University of Toronto, B,Mus, and B,Ed, degrees from McGill University and a Performer's A,R,C,T in piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music,

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