Meditating musicians: investigating the experience of music students and professional musicians in a brief mindfulness course to address music performance anxiety.
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Meditation is known to boost musicians' wellbeing and performance. New research explored how specific meditation types, including body-centered and affect-focused, impacted musicians. Twelve musicians shared their experiences after brief mindfulness courses. The findings reveal that even a four-week program can significantly enhance wellbeing, foster emotional balance, and mitigate music performance anxiety, positively transforming their music practice.
Abstract
Previous research shows that meditation practice helps reduce Music Performance Anxiety (MPA), positively impacting the musicians' wellbeing and performative skills. Several meditation types have been explored, but further investigation into additional methods is warranted to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact and potential use of meditation to address MPA. The present work aims to provide novel insights into the perceived impact of three meditation types, namely: body-centered meditation, meditation on thoughts and affect-centered meditation. Qualitative data were collected from 12 musicians participating in two short introductions to mindfulness courses, held within a pilot study and a main case study, via diaries and open-ended responses. The findings suggest that a four-week mindfulness course can enhance wellbeing, boost emotional balance, and mitigate the occurrence of MPA.