Content area
Full Text
[Part Three in a Series of Three Hypothetical Case Studies Involving Voice Students with Musical Performance Anxiety]
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE ANXIETY (MPA) is a multifaceted and complicated phenomenon with many causes and a complex array of signs and symptoms. This article is the final installment in a series of three case studies that discuss hypothetical voice students with MPA. Each theoretical student has different inherent challenges that are at the root of his or her stage fright, and each article looks into the therapeutic (and sometimes pharmacological) techniques used by mental health and medical professionals for patients with extreme cases. The therapeutic techniques are subsequently adapted into strategies for use by the voice teacher in the studio with a student exhibiting similar challenges. However, only medical and mental health professionals are licensed to make clinical diagnoses-do not attempt to diagnose clinical issues in your student, and always have your students refer severe cases to their primary care physician, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist.
In parts one and two of this series we considered the cases of high school sophomore "Suzie" and mother-of-three "Katherine." Suzie's generalized MPA was stifling her visions of Broadway success, so we delved into the clinical treatment of phobias to create a studio plan for combating her stage fright through the use of desensitization. Katherine wanted to sing solos in her large church, but her perfectionist tendencies resulted in such powerful negative self-talk that she just couldn't get up in front of a crowd. By taking cues from the clinical treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we developed a strategy for her vocal studies that uses cognitive restructuring to temper her MPA. Our third and final hypothetical student experiences stage fright stemming from some fundamental personal challenges.
HYPOTHETICAL STUDENT #3
"José" is a high school junior who has sung in chorus since eighth grade and started taking voice lessons this year. He says that if he goes to college he might want to major in music because he really likes to sing. You taught his older sister Maria for three years before she left last year for college. Maria was not the most naturally talented student, but she was a dedicated and disciplined singer who progressed well. She decided to minor in music...