Undergraduate flute student's views on stage performance anxiety: the example of Akdeniz University

Music performance anxiety is a state of physiological and emotional stress that musicians experience intensely during stage performance and refers to a common state of anxiety and anxiety that usually occurs before and during the performance. The height of this anxiety affects the instrument played and the song sung. Each instrument has its own technical difficulties. Flute, which is a woodwind instrument, may affect the performer during stage performance due to reasons such as breathing control and posture problems, lack of concentration, and the effect of external stimuli. These difficulties can lead to increased performance anxiety in flutists and negatively affect performance. In this study, it was aimed to examine the performance anxiety experienced by Akdeniz University Faculty of Fine Arts undergraduate flute students before and during the stage, the methods of reducing these concerns, and the emotional states experienced after the performance. The study is a qualitative research with a descriptive phenomenology pattern. Data in the study were obtained through document review and semi-structured interviews. Theme and descriptive analysis were used to analyze the data. In the interviews, a semi-structured interview form consisting of 9 open-ended questions prepared by the researcher was used to determine the opinions of undergraduate flute students about performance anxiety. The data obtained from the interviews were presented in tables using theme and descriptive analysis. The original sentences taken from the opinions are included in the findings section in descriptive form. The research findings include the meaning of the concept of anxiety, the types of anxiety experienced before the stage performance, the methods applied to reduce anxiety before the stage performance, the types of anxiety experienced during the stage performance, the methods applied to reduce the anxiety experienced during the stage performance, the emotional states after the stage performance, the effect of external stimuli, academic Anxiety performance and individual and group involvement were examined. Among the opinions in the research, the most frequently mentioned anxiety experienced before the stage performance is tremors, the most preferred method of reducing anxiety before the stage performance is positive suggestion, the most experienced emotional state during the stage is lack of self-confidence, the most frequently experienced anxiety during the stage performance is fear, the most preferred method is feeling fear during the stage performance. The method of reducing anxiety at the moment of performance is focusing on the notes, the most felt emotional state after the performance is happiness, the most affected external stimulus at the time of stage performance is audience attitudes, the most common cause of academic anxiety is anxiety, and the most experienced emotional state among the group on stage is feeling comfortable. It was seen to come out.