Saving Students From Music Performance Anxiety

Abstract

When working with adolescent music students the topic of “nerves” or “stage fright” is one that often comes up, especially before a performance. “I just can’t do this, can I do it another time?”, “What if I make a mistake?”, or “My legs won’t stop shaking” indicate students who may be in danger of dropping out of music making because they are suffering from music performance anxiety. A program, Coping with Music Performance, aimed at helping senior students cope with the anxiety associated with performing music is presented, together with the results of a study of its outcomes. Students’ responses to the program showed benefits in coping with the stress of performing.