Physiological evidence of stress during woodwind sight-reading

Abstract

Music performance anxiety (MPA) research has investigated solo performance, using self-reports and questionnaires to measure the efficacy of interventions to reduce MPA. Studies examining physical symptoms of MPA have measured heart rate and muscle tension of players. This pilot study examined MPA’s effects during music sight-reading (SR) by measuring physiological responses and SR accuracy amongst undergraduate woodwind students. The results demonstrate increased arousal as testing materials became more challenging and SR accuracy decreased. Implications for future research and practice include the need to incorporate MPA interventions into SR training and gather physiological evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of therapeutic programmes for management of MPA.