Submission Date

7-18-2025

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Neuroscience

Second Department

Music

Faculty Mentor

Rosa Abrahams

Second Faculty Mentor

Joel Bish

Comments

Presented during the 27th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 18, 2025 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is defined as the physiological and psychological symptoms that occur before, during, and after a performance. One common psychological symptom of MPA is post-performance rumination, which includes constant and repetitive negative thinking about the performance. Rumination prolongs physiological symptoms, stunts cognitive growth, and can hinder future performances. My goal is to find ways to reduce post-performance rumination and, in turn, help musicians have a more enjoyable performance experience. One way to combat this is by using tools that help redirect thinking from harmful negative thoughts to productive ones. This summer, I have been creating a study that investigates if expressive writing can reduce post-performance rumination in college-level students who have experienced music performance anxiety. Typically, this expressive writing technique has been used before events to reduce stress for performers, athletes, and public speakers. However, it can also be used to cope with traumatic experiences, which is why I want to understand the effect it would have on helping musicians ruminate less. During Summer Fellows I have been designing this study, which entails reviewing scholarship focused on performance anxiety, rumination, and expressive writing. I have also prepared my study materials and research protocol in order to run the completed study in the fall.

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