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Sanchis C, Plaza M, Checa I, Monleón C. Combined effects of a Mediterranean diet and respiratory muscle training on higher education woodwind musicians: A randomized controlled trial. Heliyon 2024; 10:e35495. [PMID: 39170324 PMCID: PMC11336701 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
A two-factor within subjects and randomized controlled was conducted with three groups (two experimental and one control) to explore the effects of the Mediterranean diet and respiratory muscle training on ventilatory fatigue, stress, and emotional performance of woodwind musicians. 70 students from the Valencia Conservatory of Music were recruited and randomized into three groups: respiratory training group + nutrition program (RTG; n = 17), control group (CG; n = 35) and nutrition program group (NPG; n = 18). The nutritional program was based on Mediterranean a diet. Body composition, emotional intelligence, physiological stress and ventilatory response were assessed for all groups before and after intervention. Mixed ANOVA showed main effects of diet and training interventions on emotional attention (F = 8.042; p = 0.006), clarity (F = 9.306; p = 0.003), repair (F = 5.527; p = 0.022), Forced-Expiratory-Volume (F = 30.196; p < 0.000) and Forced-Vital-Capacity (F = 21.052; p < 0.000), with both interventions improving emotional intelligence and ventilatory variables. Bonferroni post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences of RTG and CG for emotional attention (MD = 4.60; p = 0.023), comprehension (MD = 5.734; p = 0.005), repair (MD = 8.576; p < 0.000), FEV1 (MD = 0.862; p = 0.005), and FCV (MD = 1.608; p < 0.001); with similar results when comparing NTG and CG: emotional attention (MD = 4.156; p = 0.041), comprehension (MD = 4.473; p = 0.033), repair (MD = 6.511; p = 0.001), Forced-Expiratory-Volume (MD = 1.608; p < 0.001), and Forced-Vital-Capacity (MD = 1.183; p < 0.001). No significant effects of experimental groups were observed for physiological stress variables (p > 0.05). This results suggests that respiratory training enhances emotional intelligence and lessens respiratory fatigue in musicians, and a combination of a Mediterranean diet and respiratory muscle training further boosts emotional intelligence, albeit with limited impact on physiological stress. This study represents a novel investigation into the approach by dietary interventions and respiratory muscle training in wind musicians since there are no studies that analyze it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Sanchis
- Catholic University of Valencia “San Vicente Mártir”, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marcos Plaza
- Doctoral School, Catholic University of Valencia “San Vicente Mártir”, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Valencia, Spain
| | - Irene Checa
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Cristina Monleón
- Catholic University of Valencia “San Vicente Mártir”, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Valencia, Spain
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Herman R, Clark T. It's not a virus! Reconceptualizing and de-pathologizing music performance anxiety. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1194873. [PMID: 38022988 PMCID: PMC10667921 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians, affecting significant numbers of performers in terms of both their personal and professional functioning. Although numerous interventions exist to target MPA, its prevalence remains unchanged since the first large-scale studies of the 1980s, indicating that available interventions are having limited impact. This review synthesizes and critiques existing literature in order to investigate possible reasons for the limited efficacy of current approaches to managing MPA. Key concepts discussed include conceptual and methodological challenges surrounding defining MPA, theoretical perspectives on MPA's etiology and manifestation, and the coping strategies and interventions used to manage MPA. MPA has predominantly been investigated pathologically and defined as a negative construct manifesting in unwanted symptoms. Based on this conceptualization, interventions largely seek to manage MPA through ameliorating symptoms. This review discusses possible reasons why this approach has broadly not proved successful, including the issue of relaxation being both unrealistic and counterproductive for peak performance, issues associated with intentionally changing one's state creating resistance thus exacerbating anxiety, and focusing on the presence of, rather than response to, symptoms. Despite 50 years of research, MPA remains an unsolved enigma and continues to adversely impact musicians both on and off the stage. Reconceptualizing MPA as a normal and adaptive response to the pressures of performance may offer a new perspective on it, in terms of its definition, assessment and management, with practical as well as theoretical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Herman
- Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Clark
- Mount Royal Conservatory, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Spahn C, Tenbaum P, Immerz A, Hohagen J, Nusseck M. Dispositional and performance-specific music performance anxiety in young amateur musicians. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1208311. [PMID: 37583605 PMCID: PMC10425269 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1208311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Research on Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) among amateur musicians is of great interest due to inconsistent results in literature. In addition, amateur music represents an important part of musical culture in Germany. Accordingly, the performance experiences of young wind players represent a relevant issue for research and musical practice. Methods In the present study, 67 young amateur musicians of a brass choir were examined. Using two different questionnaires, both the dispositional MPA (K-MPAI) and the performance-specific MPA during a joint concert (Performance-specific Questionnaire for Musicians, PQM) were assessed. The PQM measures the symptoms of MPA, functional coping with MPA and self-efficacy before, during and after a specific performance. The PQM was completed by the musicians via an app directly after the concert. Results Results showed that about 90% of the young amateur musicians had a low dispositional MPA, but about 10% showed high values. For the concrete performance, however, musicians with high dispositional MPA also experienced a very moderate to low MPA in the concert. On average, the musicians were quite nervous before the performance. After the performance, they showed low levels of MPA. Three types of MPA found in previous studies could be confirmed among the amateur musicians, with three quarters being assigned to the positive type, showing low levels of symptoms associated with consistently high levels of self-efficacy and positive functional coping. Discussion The results provide a differentiated picture of different expressions of MPA in young amateur musicians. They also raise further questions about the correlation between dispositional and performance-specific assessment of MPA in musicians in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Spahn
- Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine, University of Music Freiburg, Medical Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg Center for Research and Teaching in Music, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pia Tenbaum
- St. Marien- und St. Annastift-Hospital, Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - Anna Immerz
- Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine, University of Music Freiburg, Medical Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg Center for Research and Teaching in Music, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jesper Hohagen
- Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine, University of Music Freiburg, Medical Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg Center for Research and Teaching in Music, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Nusseck
- Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine, University of Music Freiburg, Medical Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg Center for Research and Teaching in Music, Freiburg, Germany
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Moreno-Gutiérrez JÁ, de Rojas Leal C, López-González MV, Chao-Écija A, Dawid-Milner MS. Impact of music performance anxiety on cardiovascular blood pressure responses, autonomic tone and baroreceptor sensitivity to a western classical music piano-concert. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1213117. [PMID: 37539390 PMCID: PMC10394300 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1213117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is a prevalent condition among musicians that can manifest both psychologically and physiologically, leading to impaired musical performance. Physiologically, MPA is characterized by excessive muscular and/or autonomic tone. This study focuses on the cardiovascular blood pressure responses, autonomic tone and baroreceptor sensitivity changes that occur during musical performance due to MPA. Methods Six professional pianists perform a piece for piano written only for the left hand by Alexander Scriabin. The following parameters have been studied during the performance: ECG, non-invasive beat to beat continuous arterial blood pressure and skin conductance. Sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic flow was studied with Wigner-Ville analysis (W-V) from R-R ECG variability, and baroreceptor sensitivity with the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT). Results During the concert a significant increase of heart rate, systolic, mean and diastolic arterial pressure were observed. No significant differences were found in skin conductance. The W-V analysis, which studies frequency changes in the time domain, shows a significant increase of sympathetic flow and a decrease of parasympathetic flow during the concert which is associated with a significant decrease in sympathetic and vagal baroreceptor sensitivity. Discussion The study of cardiac variability using the Wigner-Ville analysis may be a suitable method to assess the autonomic response in the context of MPA, and could be used as biofeedback in personalized multimodal treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carmen de Rojas Leal
- School of Medicine, Autonomic Nervous System Unit, CIMES, University of Málaga, Malaga, Spain
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Virgen de La Victoria, Malaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel Víctor López-González
- School of Medicine, Autonomic Nervous System Unit, CIMES, University of Málaga, Malaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Alvaro Chao-Écija
- School of Medicine, Autonomic Nervous System Unit, CIMES, University of Málaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Marc Stefan Dawid-Milner
- School of Medicine, Autonomic Nervous System Unit, CIMES, University of Málaga, Malaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
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Irie N, Morijiri Y, Yoshie M. Symptoms of and coping strategies for music performance anxiety through different time periods. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1138922. [PMID: 37325759 PMCID: PMC10264607 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1138922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Music performance anxiety (MPA) manifests itself at mental, physiological, and behavioral levels. The present study investigated how the experience of the three levels of symptoms changes over time, and how musicians cope with these temporal changes in MPA symptoms. To this end, we conducted a questionnaire survey in which 38 student musicians freely commented on their experiences of mental and physical changes, as well as their coping strategies for these changes. This was examined during five different time periods around public performance, extending from the beginning of the preparation for a public performance until shortly before the next public performance. The free-text comments obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed thematically and classified into different response themes. We then examined the temporal changes in the frequency of comments on each response theme. We further conducted a semi-structured interview involving eight musicians to explore the responses to the questionnaire in greater detail. We analyzed the contents of the free-text comments obtained from the questionnaire and the interview for each response theme, focusing on the most frequently mentioned sub-themes. The results indicate that musicians started to experience mental MPA symptoms (e.g., negative feelings) as soon as they began to prepare for public performance. To cope with mental symptoms, musicians employed mental strategies such as positive thinking/self-talk and concentration both before and during public performance. The experience of physiological MPA symptoms (e.g., increased heart rate) peaked shortly before public performance and remained throughout performance. To cope with a variety of physiological symptoms, musicians employed physical strategies, especially deep breathing and exercise, shortly before public performance. In contrast, behavioral MPA symptoms (e.g., tremor) were experienced mostly during public performance. Some musicians also reported experiencing the actual impairment of performance quality. To avoid this, musicians employed a variety of practicing techniques (e.g., playing at a slower tempo) during the preparation for public performance and performing techniques (e.g., paying attention to expressions) during public performance. Together, the present findings indicate that mental, physiological, and behavioral symptoms of MPA exhibit differential timelines and that musicians effectively utilize different coping strategies according to the temporal changes in MPA symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanako Irie
- Department of Information Technology and Human Factors, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Education, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yuki Morijiri
- Department of Information Technology and Human Factors, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michiko Yoshie
- Department of Information Technology and Human Factors, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
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Candia V, Kusserow M, Margulies O, Hildebrandt H. Repeated stage exposure reduces music performance anxiety. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1146405. [PMID: 37020906 PMCID: PMC10067860 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1146405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background High heart rate (HR) and restlessness are two important features of music performance anxiety (MPA). In a case report of a cellist suffering from this condition, we showed that HR and restlessness decreased after repeated live performances of the same musical excerpt, thereby positively modulating objective performance criteria and subjective components. Here, we largely replicate these results in a group of 18 string players reporting MPA. Methods Objective measurement devices included a miniaturized electrocardiogram monitor and three 3-axis accelerometer loggers. Subjective measures included the Multidimensional Mental Health Questionnaire (MDBF) and a customized visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaire for MPA. Non-artistic performance errors were assessed by music experts using a composite score for technical playing errors (i.e., intonation errors, omission of notes, and bowing noise). Data were collected from each study participant during three brief public solo performances of the same musical excerpt, with each performance occurring before a new audience on the same day. Results From the 1st to the 3rd performance, HR, VAS, and playing error scores decreased significantly. MDBF (RU scale) showed a significant increase in calmness from the 1st to the 3rd performance on stage. HR and RU, VAS, and RU, as well as bow acceleration and overall duration of playing correlated significantly across participants and performances. Discussion and conclusion We conclude that repeated stage exposure significantly reduces HR as well as restlessness and playing errors linked to MPA. Public performances are still successful when HR is significantly higher than during rest periods. These results underscore the importance of stage training to become accustomed to realistic public self-exposure. Musicians - especially students - should consider this component of stage training as an integral part of their practice routine. Therefore, stage training can reduce MPA, promote better live performances and prevent stress-related mental disorders and physical injuries. These result from excessive self-exercise strategies common in musicians experiencing MPA. HR monitoring should be an integral part of evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for better MPA management and efficient performance training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Candia
- Department of Music, Institute for Music Research (IMR), Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Zürich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Victor Candia,
| | - Martin Kusserow
- Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Wearable Computing Lab ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Margulies
- Department of Music, Institute for Music Research (IMR), Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Horst Hildebrandt
- Department of Music, Institute for Music Research (IMR), Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Zürich, Switzerland
- Swiss University Center for Music Physiology, Basel University of the Arts, Basel, Switzerland
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Guyon AJAA, Hildebrandt H, Güsewell A, Horsch A, Nater UM, Gomez P. How audience and general music performance anxiety affect classical music students’ flow experience: A close look at its dimensions. Front Psychol 2022; 13:959190. [PMID: 36389478 PMCID: PMC9649719 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.959190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Flow describes a state of intense experiential involvement in an activity that is defined in terms of nine dimensions. Despite increased interest in understanding the flow experience of musicians in recent years, knowledge of how characteristics of the musician and of the music performance context affect the flow experience at the dimension level is lacking. In this study, we aimed to investigate how musicians’ general music performance anxiety (MPA) level (i.e., the general tendency to experience anxiety during solo music performances) and the presence of an audience influence the nine flow dimensions. The participants were 121 university music students who performed solo a music piece once by themselves (private performance) and once in front of an audience (public performance). Their general MPA level was measured with an adapted version of the STAI and ranged from 27 (very low MPA) to 76 (very high MPA). The level of the nine flow dimensions was assessed with the Flow State Scale-2 after each performance. The levels of “concentration on task at hand,” “sense of control,” and “autotelic experience” decreased significantly with increasing general MPA level. The levels of “unambiguous feedback” and “loss of self-consciousness” decreased significantly with increasing general MPA level during the public performance only. The level of “sense of control” was significantly lower during the public performance than the private performance across participants. The level of “unambiguous feedback” was significantly lower during the public performance than the private performance for participants with a general MPA level higher than 47. The level of “loss of self-consciousness” was significantly lower during the public performance than the private performance for participants with a general MPA level higher than 32. In contrast, the general MPA level and the audience did not significantly affect the levels of “challenge-skill balance,” “clear goals,” and “action-awareness merging.” These results show that the effects of general MPA level and audience vary greatly across flow state dimensions. We conclude that musicians’ flow state should be analyzed at the dimension level rather than as a global score. We discuss how our findings could inform the development and implementation of interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie J. A. A. Guyon
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Horst Hildebrandt
- Swiss University Center for Music Physiology, Basel University of the Arts, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss University Center for Music Physiology, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Angelika Güsewell
- HEMU–Haute Ecole de Musique, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antje Horsch
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare (IUFRS), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Neonatology Service, Department Woman-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Urs M. Nater
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- University Research Platform “Stress of life (SOLE) – Processes and Mechanisms underlying Everyday Life Stress”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Patrick Gomez
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Patrick Gomez,
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