Issue link: http://saihq.uberflip.com/i/1481012
10 Fall 2022 • sai-national.org 2022 Natial Cvention By Jessica Koebbe, DMA SAI Jessica Koebbe presented a workshop at this summer's Sigma Alpha Iota National Convention in Greensboro, NC. She shares it here for our readership's benefit. My doctoral research focused on Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) in elementary- aged children and resulted in several resources for teachers to use in lessons or rehearsals to comfortably begin to address this topic with their young musicians. But as we all know, anxiety is ageless, and as I have continued to perform with musicians of all ages and levels, I have observed how this anxiety can affect musicians in duos, trios, small, and large ensembles. So it is with delight that I share some insights I have gained over the years with you. For a moment, imagine with me: it is Friday night and you are feeling confident and excited for your performance this evening. You arrive at the venue, eager to connect with your musical collaborators before the concert, but when you enter the green room, you notice an altered energy in the room. People who are normally chatty and relaxed during rehearsals are quiet, tight-lipped, while others are fidgety. It dawns on you: they are nervous. Caught up in your own feelings about the performance, you had forgotten to consider what the rest of the group might be experiencing. Apprehension washes over you. Oh no. What is going to happen on stage? What if their nerves affect the performance? What are we going to do? How many of us have been there? Or maybe, like me, you have been one of the anxious performers backstage, worried that you might mess everything and everyone up. Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) affects most performers at some point during their career according to multiple surveys of professional musicians. The practical outcome of that means that when we are sharing the stage with our musical collaborators, one or more of us is most likely experiencing some sort of physical or cognitive symptoms of MPA that might impact our performance. How do we navigate this as performers as well as colleagues? Owning our own energetic contributions As conductors, pianists, ensemble musicians, singers, chamber partners, and musicians in general, all of us are both affected by and able to affect the energy in every Addressing Performance Anxiety in Collaborative Partnerships