ABSTRACT
Normally everyone at the performance wants students to succeed. The venue, the waiters, the security: Their success is their success. If they are serious about their music, they will need to work. The top 25% of musicians, the people that earn 97% of their income from their music, work on average between 41 and 44 hours per week on their music. Music is always a high-risk business. Someone is placing themselves and their cash and time on the line. When students have played in public, they may become nervous prior to or during their performance. Music performance anxiety has affected some of the finest performers, including concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, Beach Boy Brian Wilson, singers Adele and Carly Simon, and Ozzy Osbourne among others. A certain amount of anxiety helps performers by developing the arousal necessary to ensure excellence in performance. Being nervous and excited is part of the process of performing.
