Mindfulness music training reduced performance anxiety in a student trial
The abstract reports lower performance anxiety and better expert-rated technical precision with mindfulness music training than with music history and analysis seminars.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Students assigned to mindfulness music training had lower music performance anxiety and better technical precision than those assigned to the comparison seminars. The study also linked changes in emotional reappraisal with anxiety improvement. These findings concern a specific student program; the abstract does not show whether the gains lasted after training ended.
The abstract does not describe the training exercises, longer-term follow-up or adverse effects. The authors call for replication, so the findings do not establish that other mindfulness programs would produce the same results.
What researchers found
Music performance anxiety (K-MPAI)
Over 8 weeks, scores were lower with mindfulness music training than with attention-matched music history and analysis seminars.
A comparison with equal attention
The control group attended music seminars, allowing a comparison with another organized activity. Faculty members rating technical precision were unaware of group allocation and assessment timing, separating their ratings from knowledge of the assigned program.
A possible emotional pathway
Emotional reappraisal increased, and a mediation analysis linked that change to reduced anxiety. This statistical pathway suggests an explanation to investigate; it does not by itself show that reappraisal caused the improvement.
The original publication
Mindfulness music training as a buffer against music performance anxiety: Emotional regulation and technical precision in conservatory students.
Li Y, Samad S, Ramzan M
Acta Psychol (Amst) · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41338104
- Record checked
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