Combined treatment of improvisation and desensitization to alleviate music performance anxiety in female college pianists: A pilot study

Abstract

This study examined the effect of a Music Therapy Improvisation and Desensitization Protocol (MTIDP) on ameliorating music performance anxiety of female college pianists. Six participants served as their own controls and participated in (1) a baseline assessment (pretest); (2) six weekly sessions that involved rhythmic breathing exercises, free improvisation, and desensitization exercises; and (3) a final evaluation (posttest). Measures of the Likert Anxiety Scale, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Performance Anxiety Response Questionnaire were obtained before and after the series of MTIDP sessions. A Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test was computed to determine whether the data were significantly different from the pretest to the posttest. Results indicated that there were significant differences in the Likert Anxiety Scale and Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory. No clear trends were found in the Trait Anxiety Inventory. Although not significant, the mean for the Performance Anxiety Response Questionnaire in the posttest (M = 78.50) was lower than it was in the pretest (M = 74.67).