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International Symposium on Performance Science The Author 2013, Published by the AECISBN 978-2-9601378-0-4 All rights reserved

Performance psychology information impacton stress and anxiety level of Brazilian music

performers

Sonia Ray1, Leonardo Kaminski2, Carlos Fonseca3, Rodrigo Dueti4, Sergio

Rocha5, and Paulo Santos6

1Department of Music, Federal University of Gois, Brazil

2Department of Music, State University of So Paulo, Brazil

3Department of Psychology, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil4 Department of Psychology, Federal University of Gois, Brazil

5Music and Neuroscience, Federal University of So Joo Del Rei, Brazil

6Biology Sciences and Statistics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil

This work examines the impact of information on music psychology on

Brazilian undergraduate and graduate music performance students and

its effect on their stress and anxiety levels. It includes an investigation of

15 Brazilian public university curricula based on previous research. The

main goals of this study were (1) to investigate how much information on

music psychology Brazilian music performance students had access to

during their courses and (2) to determinate the impact such information

may have on the level of stress and anxiety in the students performances.

Students and teachers from 3 universities of So Paulo State, Brazil were

asked to answer three forms: the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety In-

ventory (K-MPAI), the Inventory of Stress Symptoms LIPP, and an addi-

tional form inquiring of the participants preparation for performance.

The study found that information on music psychology is only presented

privately at the teachers discretion. Because there is no formal class on

the topic it wasnt possible to infer the results of such a presentation. Just

over half of the 191 participants (50.3%) didnt present a stress condition.

Almost half of them (49.7%) presented some level of stress.

Keywords: performance psychology; performance preparation; perfor-

mance education; performance anxiety

The theory of music psychology is growing, beginning with the first steps

given by Carl Seashore (1967) and incorporating the cognitive sciences with

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312 WWW.PERFORMANCESCIENCE.ORG

music performance as shown by the work of Deutsch (1982), Rink (2002),

Williamon (2002), Chaffin and Logan (2006), and many others. In discussing

the teacher-student relationship, the musician and psychologist Don Greene(2002) raised a common problem: teachers are not psychologists and often

dont have the right education and experience in order to help their students

with possible psychological issues. This brings into evidence the need for

performers to study the so-called figures of interference, i.e. the positive

and negative influences on a musical performance (Ray 2005). Gerald Klick-

stein (2009, p.155) says that knowing how to deal with psychological aspects

is essential for the performers education, and in particular, to control their

level of anxiety and stress. He places mental/emotional preparation as one of

the five facets of performance preparation. Although the significant devel-opment in this research field is remarkable, little has been in done in Brazil-

ian public universities performance courses (Ray and Kaminski 2011).

Therefore, the present study aimed (1) to investigate how much access

Brazilian music students have to information on music psychology during

their courses and (2) to determinate the impact of such information on the

levels of stress and anxiety during the students performances.

METHOD

Participants

191 of 636 students and teachers from 3 public universities of So Paulo State

(State University of So Paulo [UNESP], University of So Paulo [USP], and

University of Campinas [UNICAMP]) that offer under graduate and post-

graduate studies in music performance took part. University populations

were UNESP=308, USP=97, and UNICAMP=231. These populations included

musical performance students and instrumental, vocal, and conducting

teachers.

Materials

The participants answered three questionnaires: the Kenny Music Perfor-

mance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) translated and validated for the Portu-

guese language (Rocha et al.2011), based on the validated Portuguese version

of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); the Inventory Stress Symptoms

LIPP (ISSL); and an additional form examining the participants preparation

for performance. Error estimation was 11%. Data from the K-MPAI inventory

were considered as follows: 0-240 points where low=138 points. These data were associated with

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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 313

Figure 1.Samples calculus for a finite population.

Figure 2. Levels of anxiety for a finite population. (See full color version at www.

performancescience.org.)

the levels of stress indicated by the ISSL inventory, which establishes 4 levels

of stress: alert phase, resistance phase, almost-exhaustion phase, and ex-

haustion phase, and the existence (or lack thereof) of information about mu-

sic psychology during the participants education.

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Procedure

Participants were introduced to the procedure and questionnaires by a psy-

chologist. For scoring, the samples calculus for a finite population (simple

aleatory sample) was used (n=191, 2=10%, p=499.74, q=96[q=1p] 50.26%

q=100p, E2=4%; see Figure 1). The population presented a profile very sim-

ilar to the population of the studies of the K-MPAI scale validation and

translation for Portuguese language (see Figure 2).

RESULTS

Information on music psychology was only presented when a professor

volunteered to discuss the topic privately. Because there were no formalclasses on the topic it wasnt possible to infer results on that presentation

type. A little more than half of the participants (50.3%) dont show stress

conditions (see Figure 3).

Almost half of them (49.7%) presented stress at some level. Of these, 47%

were placed into the Resistance level and only 2% were placed into the

exhaustion condition (see Figure 4).

DISCUSSION

The study yields some relationships between high levels of anxiety and stress.

Although high levels of anxiety and stress tend to correlate, 17% of the par-

ticipants without stress reported high levels of anxiety (K-MPAI above 138)

which will be closely observed and discussed in the next part of this investi-

gation. Some participants spontaneously declared that they felt less anxious

%

%

%

(

)

( )

(

)

Figure 3.Participants without stress.

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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 315

%

%

%

%

%

%

(%) (

)

(%)

( )

(%) (

)

(%) (

)

(%)

(

) (%)

(

)

Figure 4.Participants with stress.

or stressed after receiving information on music psychology directly from

their professors or close friends. In the next phase of this research, more

factors from the K-MPAI inventory will be analyzed in detail and compared to

the participants daily musical routines. Another 12 universities are scheduled

to be visited by the researchers to further these results.

Address for correspondence

Sonia Ray, Music, Federal University of Gois, Rua 1008 n.172 apt.1101, Goiania, Gois

74820-210, Brazil;Email:[email protected]

References

Chaffin R. and Logan T. (2006). Practicing perfection: how concert soloists prepare for

performance.Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 2, pp. 113-130.

Deutsch D. (1982). The Psychology of Music. New York: Academic Press.

Greene D. (2002).Performance Success. New York: Routledge.

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Klickstein G. (2009). The Musicians Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and

Wellness.Oxford: Oxford University Press

Ray S. (2005). Os conceitos EPM, Potencial e Interferncia inseridos numa proposta demapeamento de Estudos sobre Performance Musical. In S. Ray (ed.), Performance

Musical e suas Interfaces(pp. 39-65). Goinia, Brazil: Vieira/Irokun.

Ray S. and Kaminski L. C. (2011). O Atual estado da questo da disciplina psicologia na

formao de msicos-intrpretes na academia brasileira. Anais do Simpsio Inter-

nacional de Cognio a Artes Musicais, 8,pp. 210-214.

Rocha S. de F., Dias-Neto E., and Gattaz W. F. (2011). Ansiedade na performance musi-

cal: traduo, adaptao e validao do Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inven-

tory (K-MPAI) para a lngua portuguesa. Revista psiquiatria clnica, 38, pp. 217-

221.

Rink J. (2002).Musical Performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Seashore C. E. (1967).Psychology of Music.New York: Dover Publications Inc.

Williamon A. (2002). Memorizing music. In J. Rink (ed.), Musical Performance (pp.

113-126). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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