The correlation between instrumentel practice methods and individual insrument performance exam anxiety of music education department students

This study aims to examine the relationship between the instrumental practice methods of students in music education departments and their individual instrument performance exam anxiety. The sample of the study consists of a total of 176 students from various universities across Türkiye. Data were collected through the Individual Instrument Performance Exam Anxiety Scale (IIPEAS), the Instrumental Practice Methods Scale (IPMS), and a personal information form. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and effect size calculations were used in the data analysis. The results indicated a weak negative but statistically insignificant relationship between instrumental practice methods and performance anxiety (r = –.067, p > .05). Female students were found to have significantly higher levels of performance anxiety compared to male students (t = –4.168, p < .001). A significant difference was also observed in anxiety levels based on the type of high school attended, with graduates of Fine Arts and Sports High Schools showing lower levels of anxiety compared to other school types. Furthermore, students who reported using strategies such as practice planning and mental rehearsal tended to have lower performance anxiety scores. The findings emphasize the role of structured instrumental practice methods in reducing performance-related anxiety and offer recommendations for music education programs.