Name:Dr. Katie O'Brien

School/Affiliation:Georgia State University

Co-Authors:N/A

Virtual or In-person:Virtual

Abstract:

Unfortunately, many school-aged musicians find that performing for others can have a deleterious effect. Repeated negative experiences can lead to the development of music performance anxiety (MPA) (Kenny, 2011). This phenomenon can be debilitating, having a detrimental effect on a music student’s experience, and potentially driving a student to prematurely quit music study. As such, MPA can negatively impact educational music programs and may raise a barrier to access to the lifelong benefits that music participation can provide, such as cognitive and social-emotional benefits. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to gather quantitative and qualitative information about the prevalence and experience of MPA in young adolescents in Grades 6-8 in both vocal and instrumental ensembles at a private school in the southeastern United States. This age group has not been adequately represented in MPA research to date and are at an age where they could be experiencing public performing for the first time. Thus, this study aims to help fill this gap, gaining insights into what the beginnings of MPA might look like. This study followed an explanatory sequential design, beginning by administering a validated survey to assess the prevalence of MPA (N = 51) and following up with semi-structured interviews (n = 7) to expound upon the students’ experiences. Through a greater understanding of MPA that was gathered from this study, music teachers can better empathize and structure their pedagogy so that MPA is less of a barrier to music participation.