The role of coping strategy and experience in predicting music performance anxiety

Music performance anxiety (MPA), a condition common among musicians, consists of an anxious state characterized by cognitive, psychological, and physiological arousal. Musicians often establish strategies for coping with MPA. The aim of the current study is to analyze the correlation between MPA factors and coping strategies, and to determine the relevance of coping strategies and other variables, such as gender, experience, and weekly hours of individual music practice, in predicting MPA. Data on MPA and coping strategies were collected using two questionnaires: the Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced-New Italian Version (COPE-NVI). The participants were 171 musicians divided into the following two groups: 97 advanced music conservatory students and 74 professional musicians. The results indicate that coping strategies based on demand of social support and avoidance strategies have a positive correlation with MPA. Advanced students reported higher levels of MPA than professional musicians. In addition, regression analysis provides evidence that variance in MPA can be explained in part by experience (professional musicians versus advanced students), hours of individual practice per week and coping strategies based on social support and avoidance strategies. The findings underscore the importance of understanding processes involved in MPA and the need to learn adaptive strategies for coping with stressful events.