Anxiety Before and During Music Stage Performance: Monitoring and Coping Strategies with Innovative Biofeedback Techniques

Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2025 Jun 6. doi: 10.1007/s10484-025-09722-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The study addressed the necessity for effective interventions aimed at reducing performance anxiety-a critical variable influencing the quality of musical performance. The primary objective of the research was to evaluate the impact of a structured biofeedback-based training program designed to enhance music students’ capacity for self-regulation and adaptation to performance-related stress. The research employed the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI, Chinese version) and the Music Performance Quality Scale (MPQ) to assess changes in anxiety levels and performance outcomes. Participants in the biofeedback training program demonstrated significant reductions in K-MPAI subscale scores: “Anxiety/Fear” (- 21.8%), “Depression/Hopelessness” (- 36.5%), “Proximal Somatic Anxiety” (- 41.6%), “Memory” (- 32.1%), and “Worry” (- 32.3%). Physiological indicators corroborated these findings, revealing marked improvements in heart rate variability (RMSSD: + 56%, p = 0.0002) and electromyographic relaxation (EMG amplitude: – 36%, p = 0.0013) among participants in the experimental group. Notably, MPQ scores increased by an average of 7.82 points in the experimental group, indicating that the reduction in performance anxiety through biofeedback techniques positively influenced the quality of musical execution. The results suggest that integrating biofeedback interventions into music education curricula may serve as an effective neurophysiological approach to optimizing both psychological resilience and performance quality.

PMID:40478489 | DOI:10.1007/s10484-025-09722-0