title: Virtual Reality Exposure Training for Musicians: Its Effect on Performance Anxiety and Quality.
abstract: Music performance anxiety affects numerous musicians, with many of them reporting impairment of performance due to this problem. This exploratory study investigated the effects of virtual reality exposure training on students with music performance anxiety. Seventeen music students were randomly assigned to a control group (n=8) or a virtual training group (n=9). Participants were asked to play a musical piece by memory in two separate recitals within a 3-week interval. Anxiety was then measured with the Personal Report of Confidence as a Performer Scale and the S-Anxiety scale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Between pre- and post-tests, the virtual training group took part in virtual reality exposure training consisting of six 1-hour long sessions of virtual exposure. The results indicate a significant decrease in performance anxiety for musicians in the treatment group for those with a high level of state anxiety, for those with a high level of trait anxiety, for women, and for musicians with high immersive tendencies. Finally, between the pre- and post-tests, we observed a significant increase in performance quality for the experimental group, but not for the control group.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de musique, Université Laval, Pavillon Louis-Jacques-Casault, 1055 avenue du Séminaire, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada. Tel 418-656-7061, fax 418-656-7365. josiane.bissonnette.1@ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bissonnette
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dubé
authors.forename: Martin D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Provencher
authors.forename: Maria T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Moreno Sala
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology*; D060805:Performance Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D063367:Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult