Music Performance Anxiety

Music Performance Anxiety is a serious topic of issue for all musicians. Sometimes reaching a debilitating level in which a social phobia is formed, Music Performance Anxiety is a medical condition with which to become familiar especially as a person in the performing arts. There is a plethora of research and literature on this focal anxiety in general musicians, but one must beg the question- what about singers? Vocalists have a unique predicament in that their instrument is within their body. If Music Performance Anxiety is fed in a physiological fashion, vocalists could be at a severe disadvantage compared to their instrumentalist counterparts. The research on this specific topic has begun to be explored, but the number is quite low in the

scientific community. This literature review explores the research studies that have been published concerning singing and Music Performance Anxiety.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Music entry on Singing states:
“Singing is a fundamental mode of musical expression. It is especially suited to the expression of specific ideas, since it is almost always linked to a text; even without words, the voice is capable of personal and identifiable utterances. It is arguably the most subtle and flexible of musical instruments, and therein lies much of the fascination of the art of singing.”

Similar to dancers, singers use their bodies to express their art.

As the singing instrument is a part of our bodies, therein lies potential complications that are unique to only the voice.

Commonly referred to as “stage fright” Music Performance Anxiety, or MPA, is a reality for many singers. Geert Beerghs, a singer and teacher in the Netherlands, wrote a paper reflecting on not only his personal experiences but also on other singer’s experiences in dealing with stage fright. Entitled "Stage Fright in Singers: Three Reaction Types," he describes three distinct manifestations of MPA in singers.

Derealization, Beerghs self-coined term for this first type of manifestation, is where a singer experiences feeling "disconnected from reality," or in other cases simply "not there." He shares an experience from a colleague where she felt so anxious that she felt as though she was watching herself sing, rather than being present in her body. The second type of manifestation he describes is called Increased Muscle Tonus. This is a physical reaction in where a singers' body becomes more ridged than desired for creating good vocal sound with symptoms like an erect body a tight Gluteus Maximus, clenched abdominal muscles, and a raised head. This posture can distort the singer's sound by making the high register more difficult to produce effectively. The last type of manifestation is called Decreased Muscle Tonus, where a singer becomes too physically unengaged to allow good vocal

production.
Because of Geert Beerghs’ work, these three observed, experienced and documented reactions can help inform a singer about their own body's reactions before a performance and help alleviate the negative affects of MPA.
Opera Chorus Singers and Literature on Music Performance Anxiety
In a 2010 article entitled "Music Performance Anxiety in Opera Singers," Claudia Spahn and her team lead a quantitative study to discover if Music Performance Anxiety in opera chorus singers is related to physiological arousal or if it is a separate entity. In their study, 9 musicians (two instrumentalists and 7 vocalists) were observed during three different situations- daily schedules, rehearsals, and during performances. They also wore a heart rate and blood pressure monitor on their waists to monitor these two measurable physiological arousal indicators. The subjects were also required to complete surveys before and after their times of musical activities to measure self-reported trait anxiety. With some complications in the study, only five subjects could be included in the final results. Results of the study indicated that all performers had the highest mean heart relate during a public performance, but indicated that the highest level of anxiety was right before the performance. As told in the discussion on this research, MPA in relation to physical arousal is not supported by this research, but rather indicating that perception is a larger factor in MPA in singers.
In another study in relation to opera singers, this team of researchers were interested in the possible relationships between occupational stress, trait and state anxiety, music performance anxiety, aspiration and perfectionism. Through their study, they discovered that occupational stress and MPA were separate entities. The relationships between these subjects were quite complex and needed more research to verify their findings. Something that was clear, however, was that performers with high ambitions had a high impact on their level of MPA. This study also showed that people with high trait anxiety had the most resources for dealing with their anxiety.
While one could think singing in an opera chorus and singing in a choir would be a similar experience, the artistic relationship between these opportunities are much different. As an opera chorus singer, one uses a soloistic voice in conjunction with other soloists to create a massive sound. In a traditional choral setting, however, the vocal technique changes from soloistic singing to group singing. There is a different relationship between the two groups and their leaders, as their art form works for two different impacts on their audience.
Choral Singers and Literature on Music Performance Anxiety
Choral singing seems to have an effect on perceived stress. According to a study focused on addressing the effects of singing in a choir on emotional affect, anxiety levels, and salivary amylase is singers, results demonstrated that there was no change of a stress release found in saliva before and after a choral rehearsal. There was a change in perceived stress indicated on a self-reported State Anxiety test that shows a correlation between choral singing and decreasing negative affect status.
Another qualitative study in choral singing explored how a director can help to decrease performance anxiety in their members. Through a detailed questionnaire, choral director Wendy Nixon Stothert not only discovered a myriad of different symptoms of performance anxiety, but she also discovered a couple different key aspects to helping singers battle Music Performance Anxiety before they hit the stage. These three aspects the singers felt they could best be helped by a director was in these areas: 1) help with physical manifestations of performance anxiety, 2) helping prepare singers musically for the performance and 3) developing a trusting relationship between the director and the singer. The performers shared a feeling of fear with their performance anxiety in that they were concerned to make a mistake. The remedy to this fear seemed to be a genuine trust in oneself as a singer, to know that the director trusted them, and also in those around them.
This study evokes thoughts as a singer for future research. With the requests demonstrated by the choral artists, is it possible that what we are requiring of the director can be found within our own selves? In other words, is the director not only a leader, but also a critical and necessary mirror for the participants in the group? If this is so, could performance anxiety be helped by a simple change in perspective?
College Students and Music Performance Anxiety
In preparation for their career, non-music majors studying to be educators must take a music course to be certified to teach. How do these non-singers feel about singing in front of a class? In the article "I have a voice but I just can't sing: a narrative investigation of singing and social anxiety" Carlos R. Abril explores the complex situation of self-prescribed non-singers who were required to teach a song for a class.
This study was qualitative in nature, and described the experience of three individuals working to complete a six-week course in elementary music methods. Data was collected via structured interviews, participant journals and reviewed filed texts. For the completion of the course, his students had to teach the class a song thus requiring each student to sing. All three individuals shared a sincere anxiety about singing in front of their peers in class.
Through the results of his study, he found that most of the anxiety experienced from singing only arose in a social context, rather than the actual act of singing itself. He also linked a few common beliefs and experiences between these three people. All three people believed that singing was "mysterious," came "from within," and was an "innate ability" that could not be learned. Another link between these three people was a common experience. All three participants were able to recall a negative experience regarding singing in their younger years. Most of them involved a choral setting where they were required to audition or sing alone and were unsuccessful in meeting their teacher's requirements. The other was scared out of singing just by the idea that her teacher would hear her singing a wrong note.
This study highlights the importance of encouraging young people to sing. It is imperative to debunk the commonly believed myth that singing cannot be taught. Singing is taught every day, and we would do well to encourage expression of right brain emotional capacities at a young age.
As stated in another study concerning MPA and musicians, there was an attempt to see if there is a connecting factor between MPA and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and if one could predict another in an individual. With successful but not fool-proof predictions made, they did find some correlating factors between MPA and SAD. They make the claim that an important underlying factor between MPA and SAD is “fear of negative evaluation.”
In summary of these works of many great professionals, it seems that this body of research says that MPA in singers is a perspective issue, as there is little to no evidence supporting that this anxiety comes from a physical response.

Could it be possible that the fear brought into the mind of these singers is the catalyst for the symptoms in the body rather than the other way around? If this is true, self-efficacy, trust and a change in perspective could become a great resource for singers looking forward to advance their craft. More research in the future will hopefully shed light on this important issue.

In conclusion, the topic of Music performance anxiety, specifically in singers, needs more quality research. Singers could greatly improve their techniques of coping with MPA if proper research is executed in looking to discover the specific causes of their focal anxiety. More quality voices could be gifted the chance to stand and be heard. Not only would this help to improve their lives, but also the lives of the people listening to their distinctive gifts and artistry.

Questions from Dr.

Rolsten
I chose this topic to better prepare myself for upcoming performances. I was so happy to learn that music performance anxiety is a medical topic and not simply something that with which only I suffer. It is good to know that there is research being done in response to singers specifically. We are unique musicians in that our instruments reside within us. We cannot break our voice and buy a new one. It cannot be replaced or revamped. We own a living instrument unique to ourselves, and we must honor it with the same respect as any other individual.