How Does Music Performance Anxiety Manifest in School Band Directors?

• In Event: Isadore Newman Dissertation Award Presentations

Abstract

This research studied manifestation of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) in school band directors. Band directors (N = 625) who were members of the National Association of Music Education (NAfME) completed the survey which included the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) and demographic questions. In this study, the K-MPAI returned data with strong internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .93). The prevalence of severe MPA in participants was 46.80%, using a cut-off of 105 out of a maximum of 240 points on the K-MPAI. Out of the 625 participating band directors (60.5% female, 37.5% male), 570 respondents (91%) showed MPA to some degree, with scores of 51 or higher. The highest manifestation of MPA was negative cognitions, followed by memory, proximal somatic anxiety, and, lastly, anxious apprehension. There was evidence that gender, age, and years of experience impacted the manifestation of MPA in school band directors.

Author

• Beth S Yoder, University of Findlay