Understanding and managing music performance anxiety: perspectives from studio teachers in Australia

Abstract Music performance anxiety (MPA) is experienced widely by young musicians (DEMPSEY, E. & COMEAU, G. (2019) Music performance anxiety and self-efficacy in young musicians: Effects of gender and age. Music Performance Research, 9, 60–79.), but little is known about the role their studio teachers might play in helping them to manage it. This interview study investigates 13 studio teachers’ understanding of MPA, and their approaches to its management within the studio teaching setting. The teachers were asked about how they prepare their students for upcoming performances, MPA discussions in the teaching studio, observations of MPA symptoms, lesson elements that support MPA and training related to MPA. Four key themes were identified: conceptions of MPA, preparing for performance, managing mistakes and the teaching studio itself as a setting for MPA. The findings showed that teachers were caring, enthusiastic and often strategic in supporting MPA management, their understanding underpinned by personal perceptions of MPA. However, they also suggested aspects of their approaches that might be ambiguous or problematic: when lesson behaviours shift to prepare for imminent performances, teachers appear to both emphasise and downplay mistakes, perhaps creating confusion or lowering performance expectations. These insights suggest potential areas for further inquiry, exploring the role that studio teachers could have regarding the MPA experiences of their students.