Music Performance Anxiety: Origins, Phenomenology, Assessment and Treatment

Abstract

Performance anxiety is the general term for a group of disorders that affect individuals in a range of endeavours, from test-taking, mathematics performance, public speaking and sport, to the performing arts of dance, acting and music. Females are two to three times more likely to experience anxiety than males, and this relationship appears to hold for music performance anxiety (MPA) where studies demonstrate that females have significantly higher MPA than males, although this relationship is more complex in children. This article explores the origins of MPA, possible theoretical explanations for its development and the characteristics of those who might be vulnerable to experiencing high levels MPA. An examination of its occurrence in child, adolescent and adult musicians will follow to show that MPA is no respecter of age, experience or performance setting. The article concludes with an overview of assessment and treatment of this condition.

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