Date of Award
8-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
College/School
College of the Arts
Department/Program
John J. Cali School of Music
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Karen D. Goodman
Committee Member
Lisa DeLorenzo
Committee Member
Ruth Propper
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the manifestation of anxiety, the role it plays in the life and practice of the music therapist, as well as exploring the techniques and exercises utilized by the therapist for this or her own care. This explorative research study used a survey approach to gather qualitative data based on both practicing music therapists and music therapy students’ perceptions and experiences related to performance anxiety within their training and clinical work. A total of 100 surveys were completed online by music therapy students, interns, novice clinicians, as well as seasoned music therapists and was then analyzed by the researcher to find what factors contribute to anxiety within the profession of music therapy. The factors explored were interpersonal skill, ability to transition through interventions, and musical ability, with the addition of the participant’s ability to contribute their own opinion. In some cases, participants voiced potential issues of anxiety beyond the clinical setting. Performance anxiety can affect an individual in their ability to complete certain skills and tasks; it can manifest through combinations of affective, cognitive, somatic, and behavioral symptoms and it can have a direct impact on the therapeutic process and the client-therapist relationship (Kenny, 2011). After a review of literature, it became apparent that the research and material relating to the dynamic of stress and anxiety within the clinician and the clinical setting is scarce. In addition to the limitation of resources on the subject, a large number of the sample group found that anxiety does exist within the day-to-day clinical work and that it is a common issue within the developing practice of music therapy. The study found that performance anxiety might be more common in the field than it is accounted for especially within the student, intern, and novice clinician.
Recommended Citation
Walker, Emma Jane, "The Role of Performance Anxiety Within the Music Therapist" (2016). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 8.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/8