Is Playing in the Pit Really the Pits? Pain, Strength, Music Performance Anxiety, and Workplace Satisfaction in Professional Musicians in Stage, Pit, and Combined Stage/Pit Orchestras

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianna T Kenny ◽  
Tim Driscoll ◽  
Bronwen J Ackermann
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Perceived Exertion ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Workplace Satisfaction ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Orchestral Musicians

INTRODUCTION: Typically, Australian orchestral musicians perform on stage, in an orchestra pit, or in a combination of both workplaces. This study explored a range of physical and mental health indicators in musicians who played in these different orchestra types to ascertain whether orchestra environment was a risk factor affecting musician wellbeing. METHODS: Participants comprised 380 full-time orchestral musicians from the eight major state orchestras in Australia comprised of two dedicated pit orchestras, three stage-only symphonic orchestras, and three mixed stage/pit orchestras. Participants completed a physical assessment and a range of self-report measures assessing performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD), physical characteristics including strength and perceived exertion, and psychological health, including music performance anxiety (MPA), workplace satisfaction, and bullying. RESULTS: Physical characteristics and performance-related musculoskeletal profiles were similar for most factors on the detailed survey completed by orchestra members. The exceptions were that pit musicians demonstrated greater shoulder and elbow strength, while mixed-workload orchestra musicians had greater flexibility Significantly more exertion was reported by pit musicians when rehearsing and performing. Stage/pit musicians reported less physical exertion when performing in the pit compared with performing on stage. Severity of MPA was significantly greater in pit musicians than mixed orchestra musicians. Pit musicians also reported more frequent bullying and lower job satisfaction compared with stage musicians. DISCUSSION: There were few differences in the objective physical measures between musicians in the different orchestra types. However, pit musicians appear more psychologically vulnerable and less satisfied with their work than musicians from the other two orchestra types. The physical and psychological characteristics of musicians who perform in different orchestra types have not been adequately theorized or studied. We offer some preliminary thoughts that may account for the observed differences.

scholarly journals Live Music Performance: The Relationship Between Flow and Music Performance Anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Spahn ◽  
Franziska Krampe ◽  
Manfred Nusseck
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Flow Experience ◽  
Global Flow ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Live Music ◽  
Orchestral Musicians ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Live Music Performance

Most studies exploring the relation between flow and Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have focused on the disposition of generally experiencing flow and the occurrence of MPA. Little is known about the connection between experiencing flow and MPA as it relates to a specific performance. In this study, flow and MPA have been investigated in 363 orchestral musicians in relation to a particular live music performance. The musicians were asked to fill out a questionnaire immediately after a concert. Flow experience during the performance was measured using the Flow Short Scale. The Performance-specific Questionnaire on MPA (PQM) was used for MPA. The PQM addresses particular aspects of MPA and refers retrospectively to the time before and during the performance as well as to the moment of filling out the questionnaire after the performance. Using three scales, the functional coping, the perceived symptoms of MPA and self-efficacy were determined for each time point of the performance. The results showed that experiencing flow was on average higher among orchestral musicians compared to a sample of the general population. However, there were differences between the professional and non-professional musicians. All PQM scales showed significant correlations with the global flow scale. Regression analysis on the global flow score found that regarding the time before the performance the PQM scale symptoms of MPA were diametrically connected with the flow experience. The PQM scale functional coping was shown to be positively related to the flow during the performance. Moreover, high self-efficacy was found to be closely related with stronger flow experience. Furthermore, flow seems to have positive effects on functionally coping with MPA and the self-efficacy after the performance. These findings confirm the negative relationship between flow and symptoms of MPA, offering further approaches in understanding the relationship especially for live music performances.

scholarly journals Music performance anxiety: A clinical outcome study into the effects of cognitive hypnotherapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing in advanced pianists

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Brooker
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Implicit Processes ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety

Numerous investigations into music performance anxiety have focused on the conscious mind. However, little research has focused on implicit processes for alleviation of this condition. Cognitive hypnotherapy (CH) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), therapies which target implicit processes, were investigated in an intervention study with advanced pianists ( n = 46). Participants were of mixed gender aged 18–26 years (three over 30) and were randomly assigned to a therapy or control group. The therapy groups received two interventions of either CH or EMDR during a two-week period between two concerts. Quantitative data were collected through performance assessment, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a self-report questionnaire (SRQ). The SRQ and a log of performance experience also allowed for qualitative assessment. Results showed that both therapy groups (but not the control) experienced a significant reduction in state anxiety post therapy and a significant improvement in performance. Trait anxiety decreased significantly below baseline levels post intervention in the EMDR group. This is an important area for future research in music psychology and has broader implications in other fields.

Music performance anxiety and perfectionism in Croatian musicians

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562097869
Author(s):  
Ana Butković ◽  
Nikolina Vukojević ◽  
Sara Carević
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Music Students ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Maladaptive Perfectionism ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Orchestral Musicians

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is part of every musician’s life. Individual differences in MPA have been associated with individual differences in perfectionism, especially maladaptive perfectionism. The aim of this study was to examine MPA and its association with perfectionism in a combined sample of music students studying at the Academy of Music and members of the professional orchestras in Zagreb. Based on the previous studies, we hypothesized that gender, age, and maladaptive perfectionism would predict higher MPA. Data were collected for 239 musicians (152 music students, 87 orchestral musicians, 50.2% female), who filled in Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory–Revised (K-MPAI-R) and Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R). In our sample, 28% ( n = 67) of musicians had a clinically significant MPA level. In the regression analysis with gender, age, and dimensions of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism as predictors, 46% of the MPA variance was explained with gender (β = .14, p = .007), age (β = −.22, p < .001), and discrepancy (β = .62, p < .001) as significant predictors. Higher MPA was predicted by being female, a younger musician, and having a higher maladaptive perfectionism. This indicates it would be important to deal with maladaptive perfectionism to effectively manage MPA.

Validation of the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI): A cross-cultural confirmation of its factorial structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro M. Chang-Arana ◽  
Dianna T. Kenny ◽  
Andrés A. Burga-León
Keyword(s):  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
High Order ◽  
Factorial Structure ◽  
First Order ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Order Factor ◽  
Orchestral Musicians ◽  
High Order Factor

This research investigated whether music performance anxiety (MPA) can be theoretically understood as a unidimensional construct, and whether the factorial structure is robust across different populations of musicians with different levels of expertise. K-MPAI scores were obtained from 455 Peruvian tertiary music students (mean age = 21.19 years, SD = 3.13, range = 18–40 years) and 368 Australian professional orchestral musicians (mean age = 42.07 years, SD = 10.21, range = 18–68 years). A high order exploratory factor analysis with the Schmid-Leiman solution was performed on the K-MPAI items. Unweighted Least Squares extraction method and optimal implementation of parallel analysis revealed one high order factor and two first order factors for both samples. High Cronbach’s and ordinal alpha levels for items belonging to each first order and high order factor in both samples were also obtained. Structural similarities between the two samples and an invariance analysis signified a comparable structure and conceptual interpretation of K-MPAI scores in both populations. The factorial structure obtained supported a unidimensional interpretation of the construct of MPA. First order level interpretations are also possible and have been demonstrated to be clinically useful.

The relationship between flow and music performance anxiety amongst professional classical orchestral musicians

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Cohen ◽  
Ehud Bodner
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Orchestral Musicians ◽  
Flow Experiences ◽  
The Relationship

Research investigating methods of facilitating classical music performance has tended to focus on treating the debilitating effects of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA). It has been suggested that flow and MPA may be antithetical experiences and that fostering techniques for facilitating flow may provide a powerful tool for helping to alleviate MPA. However, there is a scarcity of data exploring professional classical musicians’ experiences of flow, and little empirical evidence supporting a relationship between flow and MPA. The current study examined the flow experiences and the relationship between flow and MPA amongst 202 professional classical orchestral musicians in Israel. Results showed that the majority of participants regularly experience flow. Hierarchical regression analysis provided evidence of a strong, negative relationship between flow and MPA, supporting the suggestion that facilitating flow may provide a helpful approach for alleviating MPA. An additional exploratory investigation was made into performers’ experiences of Musical Emotional Contagion (MEC), the influence of the emotional contents of the music on the performer. Results showed that the majority of participants reported experiences of MEC and there was evidence of significant associations between MEC, flow and MPA. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Effects of Music-assisted Coping Systematic Desensitization on Music Performance Anxiety

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-125
Author(s):  
Alan D Reitman
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Systematic Desensitization ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Error Count

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of music-assisted coping systematic desensitization on music performance anxiety. Eighteen musicians (19–45 years old; mean age = 26.66 years), ranging in experience from student to professional, with self-reported performance anxiety were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) verbal coping systematic desensitization; (2) music-assisted coping systematic desensitization; and (3) a wait-list control group. Subjects in the treatment groups received eight 75-minute group sessions of coping systematic desensitization. The treatment also included at-home relaxation practice, which made use of prerecorded relaxation scripts, with and without preferred music. All subjects participated in 5-minute pre- and post-treatment performances in front of three raters. Dependent measures included continuous monitoring of heart rate and frontalis surface electromyography (sEMG) during pre- and post-tests and during a 5-minute resting condition, the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Performance Anxiety Response Questionnaire, and the Music Performance Anxiety Questionnaire, administered pre- and post-treatment, and error count. Results indicated no significant differences between groups on physiological and self-report measures (p > 0.05). Error count was rendered invalid due to low interrater reliability. Self-report measures revealed within-group trends toward reduction in cognitive indices of anxiety for both treatment groups. Anxiety-related muscle tension (frontalis sEMG) also showed a within-group decline for the music-assisted treatment group. It was concluded that further research is warranted into the use of music-assisted cognitive– behavioral treatments for musicians.

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