Abstract: Music performance anxiety often seeps into the minds of many musicians regardless of their age, gender, or race, especially in the realm of classical music. Due to its strict nature, many musicians often cope with social anxiety disorder (SAD) due to severe levels of performance anxiety in an effort to achieve perfection. The excessive criticism musicians place on themselves has led many performers to become reliant on prescription drugs. As an alternative to drugs, a number of musicians and researchers alike have begun to suggest alternative treatment methods. Mindfulness practice, as studied by Diaz, decreased mental distraction, increased awareness, and increased focus. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is another method in which the goal is not to reduce symptoms of MPA, but rather focus on improving performance quality. At last, the growth mindset helps performers accept that failure is a part of the learning process and that effort and persistence is a key component to success with little regard of talent and natural abilities. At end, the review of the literature revealed a need for further research regarding performance anxiety among musicians as well as alternative treatment methods to prescription drugs.
Keywords: social anxiety disorder, performance anxiety, classical musicians, mindfulness.
Title: Mindfulness Treatment Methods for Social Performance Anxiety among Musicians
Author: Sedong Hwang
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Research Publish Journals
