Coping Strategies for Performance Anxiety
by Linda Clement January, 2008
Performance anxiety in musicians is very common. A 1990 study of Wesner, Noyes and Davis found that “21% of the students and faculty at an American University School of Music reported “marked distress” that arose out of anxiety, while another 40% experienced ‘moderate distress.’” (Parncutt and McPherson 48) However, in spite of these findings, most experts agree that some anxious feelings are actually helpful for a successful performance. Sang-Hie Lee in “Musician’s Performance Anxiety and Coping Strategies” says that
“Psychologists have labeled a type of heightened state of arousal as a biologically based, motivating force. D L. Hamman’s studies showed that musicians with the highest level of formal training were able to use the anxiety factor for positive performance effect. Wolfe similarly learned that professional musicians used the positive anxiety components, such as arousal and intensity, to promote performance rather than letting the negative elements, like apprehension and distractability, diminish performance quality” (38-39).
These and other studies have found that there are a variety of coping strategies that can be developed by the anxious performer, to create a reservoir of skills with which he or she can practice and develop to decrease the effects of performance anxiety.
Some performers attempt to reduce anxiety through self-medicating, through such means as alcohol, Valium, or other drugs. While these may reduce the effects of anxiety, they also dull the performer’s fine abilities. Beta-adrenergic blockers keep the heart rate in check, while at the same time, allow the head to remain clear and unaffected. Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, in “The Science and Psychology of Music Performance,” comment that
“Evidence is mixed as to whether [beta-blockers] improve musical performance as judged by the outside observer. In any case, they seem less than ideal because of possible side effects such as loss of sexual potency, nausea, tiredness, and blunting of affect. In asthmatics the blockers are particularly dangerous and occasionally precipitate heart failure. Although many musicians take them regularly (some estimates suggest about one-quarter), in the United States and some other countries, their use for performance anxiety is not sanctioned by medical authorities” (49-50).
According to Salmon and Meyer, there are three benefits to learning stress management
techniques, specifically relaxation skills:
“First, daily systematic practice of relaxation skills can help lower a performer’s overall level of tension and thereby create a greater tolerance for the stress and tension that may be experienced onstage. Second, relaxation techniques can help retrain otherwise tense muscle groups that interfere with the fluid movements required for an effective performance. Third, relaxation exercises can, after some time, be used to develop effective antidotes to tension, apprehension, or anxiety, which tend to ebb and flow over time as one is preparing for or involved in a performance” (171-72).
The types of relaxation skills recommended include deep breathing, closing one’s eyes, allowing the release of tension, and imagining a pleasant image. They emphasize that these techniques are not learned quickly and especially not under pressure. The very fact that one might want to learn them to relieve stress for an impending performance will actually increase stress, not relieve it. Therefore, one must approach relaxation skills the same way one learns any new skill. One should devote a set amount of time each day to practicing relaxation skills until they are performed with ease in a variety of situations. A particularly effective technique called “progressive relaxation,” developed by the physician Edmund Jacobson, is also discussed by Salmon and Meyer. After learning how to breathe regularly and close one’s eyes peacefully, then one can learn the progressive relaxation method:
“The essence of progressive relaxation involves alternately tensing and releasing a number of the specific muscle sets throughout the body. You begin with the muscles at one end of the body, usually the feet. Once the muscles in the feet have been relaxed by alternately tensing and releasing them, you move on to the next higher set. Continue this progression until you have tensed and relaxed the main muscle sets in your entire body” (179)
Benefits of this technique are that one can learn to distinguish between the various muscle groups throughout the body, as well and learn the difference between tension and relaxation of those muscles. In addition, one may gain control over muscles that he or she may have been unaware, thereby increasing his or her ability to relax.
Parncutt and McPherson quote a hypnosis study by H. E. Stanton, in which he
“paired music students according to their scores on a performance anxiety questionnaire and assigned one of each pair to hypnotherapy and control groups. Hypnotherapy consisted of two 50-minute sessions, one week apart, visual imagery (clouds and a lake), and verbal suggestions that linked these images to increased mental control. The control group met twice at the same interval for similar-length discussion sessions. The hypnotherapy group (but not controls) showed a significant reduction of performance anxiety immediately after treatment and further gains six months later” (54).
However, Parncutt and McPherson discount this study because it did not compare hypnotherapy to cognitive or behavioral therapies, that might have produced the same effect. They conclude:
“First, [Stanton’s] procedure included relaxation and it may be that this would be equally effective without trance induction. Second, doing better than nothing is not a great achievement. What is needed is a comparison of the cost- effectiveness of hypnotherapy and that of standard practice (currently cognitive- behavior therapy)” (54).
Still, hypnotherapy is an option, even if it is an expensive option. Perhaps it would be a “quick fix” for the person who doesn’t have the time or patience to learn the other therapies.
Imagery is another powerful tool used by performers to enhance the mental process of believing in a goal, even if that goal is not at present realized. Studies of basketball players have proven that mental imagery of a successful shoot into the basket can improve free-throw shooting percentages. Don Greene, author of “Performance Success, Performing Your Best Under Pressure,” writes how he doubted the value of mental imagery (or mental practice) until he trained a diver “Pam,” seeking to obtain a position on the American Olympic dive team. One day in practice, on a “back two-and-a-half” dive, she injured her back seriously enough that her physician recommended that she stop all diving practice, with the hope that the seven week rest would allow her back to heal sufficiently before the Olympic trials. Because it was her only option however, Pam continued to mentally rehearse each dive. Green continues:
“While the other divers were outside going through their dives, Pam was imagining herself doing her practice dives over and over. We started on the easier dives, making sure that she saw and felt them just the way she wanted them to be. Then we moved to her tougher dives, and eventually to the back two-and-a-half. It was critical that we correct the mistake in her mind” (54-5).
The mental rehearsals continued for the following seven weeks. The physician examined her again, allowing her to dive for the trials, but no warm-ups were allowed. She successfully completed five perfect dives, not having physically practiced for seven full weeks. On the sixth dive, Pam unfortunately entered the water slightly short, just enough to recreate the injury in her back. She would have to withdraw from the trials. However, this experience for Green was a powerful testimony of the power of the mind.
An important element of Green’s exercise for mental rehearsal is to imagine what you want to have happen in a multisensory way.
“Make sure that you’re also able to feel your hands on your instrument. If you’re a singer, notice how your voice feels. Listen closely to the acoustics; pay attention to how you sound. This entire experience should seem as real and as vivid as possible. The primary goal here is to imagine yourself in Optimal Performance mode. Try to see, feel and hear yourself performing well, but don’t get upset if it’s not perfect. Mental Rehearsal gives you a marvelous effective way to correct mistakes. Mistakes are normal in Mental Rehearsal just as in life. If you imagine missing a shift, for example, hit the stop button on your mental VCR immediately. Rewind to a place before the mistake. Start from that point, moving slowly forward at a speed you can control. Repeat this process several times, just as you would in real practice, until you can perform it well in your mind in real time” (57-8).
Salmon and Meyer remind us, however, that mental rehearsal “should be viewed as a useful tool, not a magical technique that ensures a flawless performance. The purpose of mental rehearsal is to set new images for performing that serve as goals to be gradually achieved through the refinement of one’s techniques” (183).
Anne Petrovich, in her article “Performance Anxiety: How Teachers Can Help,” declares performance accomplishments to be
“the most powerful source of self-efficacy for managing anxiety. To cope effectively, anxious persons must, above all, approach, rather than avoid, the dreaded performance situation. Students with a history of the most frequent performances, subjectively experienced as successful, had the lowest levels of performance anxiety. Frequency alone was not predictive of lower levels of anxiety, but the combination of frequency with positive appraisal of the performance was a predictor” (26).
She goes on to say, that teachers tend to ignore this valuable tool, in favor of other
sources of self-efficacy, when addressing performance anxiety with their students. She suggests that teachers schedule many performance opportunities which gradually increase in likeness to the actual, upcoming performance. Although Petrovich also discusses relaxation and mental imagery as additional sources of pre-performance jitters, she recognizes that not all students may benefit from the effort to calm the body and mind. In contrast, some may be benefited more by using
“powerful body interventions allowing the musician to release pent-up adrenaline before the performance. . . These may include pounding a tennis racket on a chair, pounding a pillow with one’s fist, shouting and moving one’s body vigorously or doing calisthenics. These kinds of exercises, which release excess energy, often are practiced by actors, alone and in combination with others. Teachers should not impose their favorite self soothing practices on students, but should share them and help their students creatively try techniques uniquely useful to them.” (27).
Don Greene discusses the value of talking to oneself in a positive and assuring way while performing under pressure. When one engages in mean and disparaging remarks to oneself, it often backfires, creating even more tension and anxiety. One can change one’s self-talk by changing the words he or she uses to express empowerment and confidence. If a person views himself as helpless, he will be a victim of circumstance, instead of having the power to create his destiny. “The things you say to yourself under stress register cumulatively in your mind and deeply in your self-belief system. . .Your subconscious mind is like a mushroom. It sits there in the dark ready to eat up and believe anything you feed it” (49).
Sang-Hie Lee also reminds us that the key to overcoming stage fright is in trusting oneself:
“After all, once on stage, one has total autonomy. It is too late to try to pretend to be someone else. All she has, momentarily, is the self to offer and share with the audience. Whatever it is we are presenting is the act of giving of self for mutual benefit, enrichment and enjoyment. Only when self-trust is attained and expressed, does trust in others, and consequently mutual trust, become possible” (39).
Performance anxiety is real and is experienced by most musical performers; however, one need not be a victim to his thoughts and feelings. Coping strategies such as positive self talk, self trust and imagining a pleasing performance can create greater mental confidence. Pre-performing in a variety of situations and for various numbers of people can also create a stable foundation of belief. Various relaxation exercises can be employed to give the performer greater control over muscle tension and relaxation. Hypnotherapy is also an option, but most drugs are not recommended, except under a physicians guide. A diligent performer can engage in a one or more of these therapies to improve his or her ability to perform without the debilitating effects of performance anxiety.
Works Cited
Greene, Don. Performance Success. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Lee, Sang-Hie. “Musician’s Performance Anxiety and Coping Strategies.” American Music Teacher Aug. - Sept. 2002: 36-39, 95.
Parncutt, Richard and Gary E. McPherson. The Science and Psychology of Music Performance. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Petrovich, Anne. “Performance Anxiety: How Teachers Can Help.” American Music Teacher Dec. 2003-Jan. 2004: 24-27
Salmon, Paul G. and Robert G. Meyer. Notes from the Green Room. New York: Lexington Books, 1992.
