The effects of teaching strategies on students' experience with musical performance anxiety

A considerable amount of literature on Musical Performance Anxiety ("MPA") addressing psychological interventions, including self-help practices and remedies, exists. However, literature that specifically focuses on the relationships between teaching techniques, teacher behaviors and/or attitudes, in the context of a student-teacher dynamic, and their effects on students' experience with MPA is noticeably limited. Therefore, the examination and evaluation of teachers' strategies used in private studio teaching environments, as well as an evaluation of existing coping strategies, and their effect on students could yield notable insight into how a student-teacher relationship that effectively and thoroughly addresses MPA can be developed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how master piano teachers and piano students are addressing MPA in the applied piano studio. Furthermore, this study seeks to identify which, if any, teaching methods, strategies and techniques used to address and improve the students' ability to cope with MPA are similar or related to existing coping strategies found in related literature and studies to-date and how effective they are.

In order to achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven master piano teachers and nine piano students during the fall and winter months of 2005. Specifically, these teachers were asked what particular teaching strategies, teacher behaviors and/or attitudes they used to help students manage MPA. To validate the effectiveness of these teachers' techniques, their students were also interviewed. Students were asked to describe how strategies employed by their teacher helped alleviate their experiences with performance anxiety.

The results of this study indicate that individuals experienced MPA on cognitive, behavioral and physiological levels, often simultaneously. Master teachers agreed that addressing the issues related to MPA during the preparation stages, rather than attempting to cure symptomatic manifestations, is the most effective way to help students manage their anxiety. In order to effectively address the various manifestations of MPA, teachers in this study applied a number of strategies and techniques from both psychological and pedagogical perspectives. According to the results, teaching strategies had the most impact in the areas of: (1) Fostering Healthy Attitudes; (2) Pre-Performance Preparation; and (3) Memory.