Under the spotlight: social anxiety and music performance anxiety in solo-exposed wind instrumentalists compared to section players in orchestra settings
Article excerpt
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a prevalent psychological phenomenon affecting musicians at all levels. While prior research has established that solo performance contexts typically elicit higher anxiety than ensemble settings, less attention has been paid to variations in exposure levels…
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a prevalent psychological phenomenon affecting musicians at all levels. While prior research has established that solo performance contexts typically elicit higher anxiety than ensemble settings, less attention has been paid to variations in exposure levels within orchestra environments. This cross-sectional study examined the association between exposure level and MPA among wind instrumentalists in orchestra settings, investigating the mediating role of social anxiety and the moderating role of performance experience. A total of 152 wind instrumentalists were classified into either the solo-exposed group (section principals or those performing solo passages; n = 74) or the section group (regular section players; n = 78). Participants completed the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and State, Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait subscale (STAI-T). Results indicated that solo-exposed players reported significantly higher MPA (d = 0.44) and social anxiety (d = 0.38) compared to section players. Mediation analysis revealed that social anxiety significantly mediated the statistical relationship between exposure type and MPA, accounting for 44.98% of the total effect. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings indicate associations and the direction of effects should be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, performance experience moderated the relationship between exposure type and MPA, with the between-group difference being significant only among less experienced players. Subscale analyses demonstrated that group differences were primarily evident in performance-situation anxiety and worry/rumination dimensions rather than early relationship factors or psychological vulnerability. These findings extend the understanding of context-specificity in MPA and provide empirical evidence for targeted interventions for high-exposure musicians in orchestra settings.