Effects of State Anxiety on Music Performance: Relationship between the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Subscales and Piano Performance

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R, Cox, Martens, & Russell, 2003; Jones & Swain, 1992; Martens, Vealey, & Burton, 1990) subscales and the quality of music performance to compare the anxiety-performance relationship in pianists with that in athletes and to gain insights into the effective coping strategies for music performance anxiety (MPA). Fifty one students (15 women and 36 men) aged 18-26 years (M = 20.6, SD = 2.3) completed the CSAI-2R just prior t o their individual piano performances in a concert, followed by the self-evaluation of performance quality. The CSAI-2R demonstrated adequate psychometric properties when applied to MPA. Consistent with the previous findings in sport psychology, correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses showed that self-confidence intensity positively predicted global performance (p c .001). Cognitive anxiety intensity negatively predicted technical accuracy (p c .05), while cognitive anxiety direction positively predicted global performance @ c .05). On the other hand, the correlation between somatic anxiety and performance was non-significant. We conclude that acquiring self-confidence, reducing pre-performance cognitive anxiety, and interpreting the symptoms of cognitive anxiety as being facilitative t o the subsequent performance will improve performance quality. Based on the present findings, the effectiveness of mental skills training for athletes and some educational methods in treating MPA is discussed.

Psychological intervention reduces self-reported performance anxiety in high school music students

“…This is largely due to the many known overlapping features of sports and musical performances, with both requiring high levels of motor control and learning, mastery over mind and body, the necessity for implicit recall and smooth performance, and the presence of an audience, which invokes the potential for enjoyment of excellence, but also psychological pressure (Yoshie et al, 2009). Performance psychology techniques place an emphasis on mental rehearsal (visualization), goal setting, focusing on strengths, with the ultimate goal being to achieve a state of “flow” or an experience of complete immersion in an activity (Williams, 2010).…”

Motor/Autonomic Stress Responses in a Competitive Piano Performance

“…Performance situations involving the sense of exposure often elicit subjective, physiological, and behavioral stress responses in musicians. Not surprisingly, performance deterioration associated with these responses can greatly ruin musicians’ career prospects 1,2 . To better understand the stress‐performance relationship in musicians, we considered changes not only in performance, but also in the underlying motor process.…”

The Effects of Stress on Singing Voice Accuracy

“…34 Although this material was designed to assess state anxiety in sports competitions, it has also been used for music performance. 13,25 Because of the limited time available for students to fill in the 8 questionnaire, we selected 11 items, which correspond to the two subscales designed to investigate somatic and cognitive symptoms. Participants had to rate the intensity of each symptom on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much) at the time of the performance.…”

“…Objective measurements of physiological manifestations of stress can also be observed. 11,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Indeed, the heart rate is dramatically higher during a stressful condition such as a competition than during rehearsals. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] As heart rate variations have a significant influence on the f 0 of the speaking voice and of sustained voice productions, 26,27 we hypothesize that a stressful condition should have an impact on vocal accuracy.…”