Muscial performance anxiety is a type of anxiety experienced by some people with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Musicians who suffer with this type of anxiety are critical and self-evaluative before, during, and after performances. This negative self evaluation causes disrupted concentration and a host of physical symptoms that result in a performance below the ability of the musician.

Why do some musicians experience such debilitating performance anxiety? When musical performance anxiety is experienced as part of SAD, it is likely due to a combination of factors such as innate temperament and negative early performance experiences. In general, researchers have found that females are more likely than males to experience this type of anxiety.

What does musical performance anxiety feel like? If you suffer with this fear, the following statements probably sound familiar. Questionnaires with statements similar to these have been used by researchers to examine the thoughts and feelings experienced by people with musical performance anxiety.The harder I work to prepare for a concert, the more likely it seems that I will make a mistake.

I worry about a negative reaction from the audience.

I have a sense of dread before performances.

I worry about performing weeks or months in advance.

I never know the night of a performance whether or not I will do well.

There are times during performances when I wonder if I will make it through.

Problematic thinking is often at the root of musical performance anxiety. Thoughts such as “My performance needs to be perfect or I am a complete failure” or “I had a good performance tonight but I must have just been lucky,” create and maintain anxiety. Below are some common thought distortions that may be contributing to your anxiety about performing.Black or white thinking: “If my performance isn’t perfect, I am a failure.”

Overgeneralization:
“I had a bad performance tonight; I have always been a bad performer and always will be.”

Mental filter:
“Everyone must have noticed how I messed up in the middle; it doesn’t matter that the rest was OK, my mistake ruined the performance.”

Disqualifying the positive: “I had a good performance tonight but I must have just been lucky.”

Jumping to conclusions: “The audience was really quiet tonight, they must not have liked my performance.”

When musical performance anxiety is part of SAD, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with a trained therapist can be helpful to identify cognitive distortions and work towards more positive thought patterns. In addition, behavioral therapy interventions such as cue-controlled relaxation, systematic desensitization, progressive muscle relaxation, and breathing techniques may help to reduce anxiety when performing.

Although cognitive and behavioral interventions can be successful on their own, pairing these treatments with medication may reduce anxiety more quickly and effectively. Medications such as beta blockers can be helpful to manage anxiety symptoms during performances. Beta blockers such as Inderal (propanolol) taken before a performance reduce symptoms of anxiety such as increased heart rate, shaking and sweating. In addition to beta blockers, benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be helpful in managing musical performance anxiety.

If you are a musician dealing with severe performance anxiety, it is important to get help. Although some anxiety about performing is normal and may even enhance your performance, excessive anxiety is neither helpful nor inevitable. There are options to overcome your fears and reach your full potential as a musician, but you need to make it a priority to get your anxiety under control.

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Many a performer who has remained calm prior to performing has fallen apart during a performance. If you have prepared well for a concert and used coping strategies to manage pre-performance jitters, it is time to tackle your stage fright during the performance. Below are some tips to help manage anxiety during a musical performance.Positive Thinking. Although positive thinking alone will not prevent performance anxiety, positive thoughts are certainly more supportive of a successful performance than negative thoughts. By making sure that you think positively during rehearsal, it is more likely that you will be thinking positively on stage.

Avoid Self-Medication. Some performers cope with musical performance anxiety by drinking or using street drugs. There are a number of problems with self-medication such as a lower-quality performance, problems with addiction, and negative effects on health.

Act “As If.” Even if you feel nervous, try to act calm and confident. Focusing on feelings of anxiety will only make them worse. If you try hard enough to project an air of confidence you may actually begin to feel more confident.

Stay in the Moment. While you are performing, be sure to stay in the moment. Don’t worry about upcoming parts of the performance or a mistake that you just made. Athletes call this type of state “being in the zone.” A good way to stay in the moment is to avoid internal dialogue when performing. Allow yourself to be carried away by the music and performance and tune out the critical voice in your head.

Acknowledge the Audience. Although it can be tempting to pretend the audience is not there, a more productive approach is to imagine them as a group of supportive friends. Even if you are performing in an evaluative context such as a musical exam, imagining the examiner as warm and friendly will help to reduce your anxiety more than if you imagine him as critical and judgmental.

Acknowledge Some Anxiety. Every performer experiences a little bit of anxiety before going on stage, and many find that a bit of nerves make for a more vibrant performance. Realize that you will not completely eradicate your anxiety, but that you can live with being a little bit nervous.

Trust Yourself. At the end of the performance, before you hear any critiques or reviews, ask yourself how you did. Be honest, and congratulate yourself if you performed well. If later you receive criticism from audience members, know that your own evaluation was positive, and that how you feel about your performance matters the most because you know your abilities best.

If after implementing some of the above strategies you still find that your performance anxiety is out of control, it may be time to seek professional help. Musicians who suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD) benefit from formal types of treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication. In addition, if your anxiety is not limited to musical performances but spread across a range of social and performance situations, treatment aimed at the underlying cause of your fear will be more helpful than strategies narrowly focused on musical performance anxiety.

Sources:

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Anxiety before a musical performance can be a problem even for seasoned performers. If you are a musician who suffers from anxiety before a musical performance, you know firsthand the terrible impact that anxiety symptoms can have on your performance. If your anxiety is part of social anxiety disorder (SAD), it is important to receive treatment such as medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). However, there are also a number of self-help coping strategies that you can use to reduce your anxiety.

In the months, weeks, and days leading up to a performance, work to keep your anxiety at a minimum. Some of helpful strategies include adequate rehearsal, preparation of non-musical matters, use of relaxation techniques, and careful selection of repertoire. Here, some tips to help you manage anxiety while preparing for a musical performance.Rehearsal: Try to fit in at least three to four rehearsals prior to the actual performance. If possible, rehearse in the location where you will perform; this is especially important for piano players in order to get comfortable with the instrument. In addition to actual rehearsals, visualizing a successful performance is a good way to mentally prepare yourself to succeed.

Preparation: Being prepared as a musician means more than being ready to perform. Make sure that you have taken care of all loose ends so that you are not scrambling at the last minute and feeling anxious. Do you need a page-turner? Make sure to arrange one ahead of time. Have you chosen your wardrobe? Be sure to have an outfit that you are comfortable in chosen well in advance of the performance.

Relaxation: There are a variety of relaxation techniques that you can use to help keep anxiety symptoms under control prior to a performance. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, yoga, and other eastern disciplines will help to keep you focused and calm.

Memorization: Choose several sections of a piece as designated “memory stations” that you can jump to if you are in trouble. Sometimes simply knowing that you have memory stations makes it easier to relax and worry less about making mistakes.

Assessment: Assess your abilities as a performer, and be realistic in terms of your choice of music. Do not choose a piece that is beyond your skill level or that you do not have enough time to learn. It is better to perform well within your comfort zone than to fail because you chose a piece that was too difficult.

Once you have successfully used coping strategies to manage pre-performance jitters, it is time to face your fears the day of the performance. If you suffer with severe anxiety and self-help coping strategies do not seem to be helping, you may want to see a professional. When musical performance anxiety is part of SAD, formal treatment such as CBT or medication is usually advised.

Sources:

Kenny DT, Osborne MS. Music performance anxiety: New insights from young musicians. Advances in Cognitive Psychology. 2006;2:103-112.

Kirchner J. Managing musical performance anxiety. American Music Teacher. 2004;Dec.

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