Perdomo-Guevara, E. orcid.org/0000-0002-2008-4390 and Dibben, N. orcid.org/0000-0002-9250-5035 (2024) Cultivating meaning and self-transcendence to increase positive emotions and decrease anxiety in music performance. Psychology of Music. ISSN 0305-7356
Abstract
This article presents the findings of an intervention aimed at promoting positive emotions in music performance, as positive emotions are intrinsically valuable and can have associated benefits. The intervention sought to help participants conceive performance in more meaningful, self-transcendent terms. This study investigated whether the intervention helped performers to change their approach to performance; whether an increase in meaningfulness and self-transcendence led to more positive performance-related emotions; and whether an increase in positive emotions resulted in higher perceived quality of the performance. Comparison of self-report measures pre- and post-intervention indicated that after the intervention, participants approached performance in a more meaningful, self-transcendent manner. Specifically, they were more focused on the value of music, privilege of performing, and benefits for the audience. They also reported more rewarding performance experiences: they reported more joy, engagement, and self-confidence; more inspiration and connection with their audiences; and less anxiety. In addition, they reported being able to give better performances. None of these changes were found with a randomly assigned wait list control group. We conclude that an intervention designed to change performers’ conceptions of the meaningfulness of performing can have beneficial impacts on the quality of that experience.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | meaning; emotion; performance anxiety; self-transcendence; inspiration |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > Department of Music (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Jul 2024 15:58 |
Last Modified: | 22 Jul 2024 15:58 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/03057356241246052 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215068 |