Performance anxiety in solo piano playing.

Abstract

A qualitative methodology was employed in this study. Six pianists on the faculties of southwestern colleges and universities were selectively chosen for participation. A survey questionnaire and an individual interview were used to collect data in the late spring and summer of 2001. The researcher analyzed the transcripts of the interviews and codes were developed accordingly.

The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of performance anxiety in solo piano playing from the perspective of the participants. Research questions focusing on the following three categories were addressed: (1) What does the experience of performance anxiety feel like to a solo pianist? (2) What are the ways in which performance anxiety manifests itself? and (3) How should performers deal with performance anxiety?

The three categories of research questions were utilized for the interpretation of the findings. The symptoms of performance anxiety manifested themselves through a combination of thought processes, feelings and physiological responses, activated by the perception of a threat by the performer. Negative thoughts and feelings dominated the experience of musical performance anxiety and undermined the self-confidence level of the performer. The identity of the performer was impacted both by how the individual viewed himself or herself, as well as the result of his or her perception of how others viewed them. While the participants all had their individual ways of dealing with their experience of performance anxiety, none of the techniques worked one hundred percent of the time. The coping mechanisms employed did make a difference in the intensity of the anxiety experience.