Mental Health
Recommended Books
Books on the psychology of music can be found in ML 3830 and related areas. Beyond the Music Collection, there are also many books on broader psychological topics in the General Collection under the subclass BF (2 East). The recommended books below are sorted by their call numbers to ease browsing. Hover over the info icon to see a description of the book.
Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians by
In Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians, Stewart Gordon offers seasoned advice to musicians intent on meeting the challenges of performance. Through real-life examples and pre-performance exercises, this accessible manual gives musicians and other performers practical insights into every aspect of performance. While other books merely identify and describe the problems associated with performance, this book offers detailed suggestions for solving them. First, Gordon tackles the critical planning and preparatory stages, helping performers to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The book's easy-to-follow exercises address the self-doubt and anxiety many musicians contend with, helping them to analyze why they perform, set goals and assess the level of energy needed to achieve them, and develop a performance philosophy. The book also offers techniques that will help musicians deal with some of the classic pitfalls of performance preparation, including repetition and drill, changing bad habits, and developing memory. For the performance itself, Gordon's insights help musicians with pacing and managing stage fright. For the aftermath, Gordon arms performers with strategies for dealing with criticism and conducting a constructive self-evaluation, equipping them to face the challenges of a lifetime of performances, including career plateaus and burnout. Gordon draws from more than forty years of experience in front of audiences to offer readers invaluable tips and personal reflections. While aimed primarily at musicians, the book will be useful to anyone facing the pressures of performance, such as actors, dancers, and even public speakers.
Call Number: ML457 .G66 2006Publication Date: 2006
The Inner Game of Music by
From the bestselling co-author of the classic guide that helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their tennis game comes a book to help musicians reach new levels of excellence. With more than 800,000 copies sold since it was first published thirty years ago, The Inner Game of Tennis became a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people. Now, the bestselling co-author delivers a book designed to help musicians overcome obstacles, improve concentration, and reduce nervousness, allowing them to reach new levels of performing excellence and musical artistry.
Call Number: ML850 .G73 1986Publication Date: 1986
Stage Fright in Music Performance and Its Relationship to the Unconscious by
Descriptions from blurbs on back cover from noted persons in this field and others: HERSETH QUOTE: "This is a very comprehensive and thorough study of 'stage fright,' which is a problem for many public performers. I am sure it will be very helpful to anyone who has experienced such feelings. Congratulations Michael." --Adolph "Bud" Herseth -- Principal Trumpet Emeritus -- Chicago Symphony Orchestra. SCARLETT QUOTE: "This is a good source to sort out the characteristics and causes of stage fright. Many people will find this book helpful to relieve this frustrating roadblock to artistic performance." --William Scarlett, Assistant Principal Trumpet, Retired, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. HOFFMANN QUOTE: "Mike Goode writes with personal insight and great clarity about the important performance problem of stage fright. His analysis is well founded in contemporary neurobiological and physiological terms. The case studies are extremely illuminating. This book is 'must reading' for those in the performing arts." --Philip C. Hoffmann, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, The University of Chicago. HALE QUOTE: "This book is helpful for singers wanting to understand how their personal psychology affects their performance ability." --Elizabeth Hale Knox, Mezzo-Soprano and Voice Teacher, Music of the Baroque and the Grant Park Symphony Chorus. TRAINOR QUOTE: "Goode goes beyond the clinical analysis of 'stage fright' symptoms and grounds the phenomenon in a human context that the average, non-scientific reader can relate to. This book is not just for musicians. Everyone has some experience with performance anxiety, and Goode offers hope to all who have suffered from it." --Ken Trainor, Managing Editor and Columnist, Wednesday Journal Newspaper. "The book describes stage fright and presents solutions to remedy it." -- The author.
Call Number: ML3830 .G66 2003Publication Date: 2003
The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety by
Why are some performers exhilarated and energized about performing in public, while others feel a crushing sense of fear and dread, and experience public performance as an overwhelming challenge that must be endured? What are the factors that produce such vastly different performance experiences? Why have consummate artists like Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pablo Cassals, Tatiana Troyanos, and Barbra Streisand experienced such intense music performance anxiety? This is a disorder that can affect musicians across a range of genres and of all standards. Some of the 'cures' musicians resort to can be harmful to their health and detrimental to their playing. This is the first rigorous exposition of music performance anxiety. In this groundbreaking work, Dianna Kenny draws on a range of disciplines including psychology, philosophy, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and performance theory in order to explain the many facets of music performance anxiety that have emerged in the empirical and clinical literature. She identifies some unifying guiding principles that will enhance our understanding of the condition and guide researchers and clinicians in the development of effective treatments. The book provides a detailed conceptual framework for the study of music performance anxiety and a review of the empirical and clinical research on the anxiety disorders. In addition it presents a thorough analysis of the concepts related to music performance anxiety, its epidemiology, and theories and therapies that may be useful in understanding and treating the condition. The voices of musicians are clearly heard throughout the book and in the final two chapters, we hear directly from musicians about how they experience it and what they do to manage it. This book will lay a firm foundation for theorizing music performance anxiety and be of enormous value interest to those in the fields of music and music education, clinical psychology, and performance studies.
Call Number: ML3830 .K46 2011Publication Date: 2011
The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology by
The second edition of The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology updates the original landmark text and provides a comprehensive review of the latest developments in this fast-growing area of research. Covering both experimental and theoretical perspectives, each of the 11 sections is edited by an internationally recognized authority in the area. The first ten parts present chapters that focus on specific areas of music psychology: the origins and functions of music; music perception, responses to music; music and the brain; musical development; learning musical skills; musical performance; composition and improvisation; the role of music in everyday life; and music therapy. In each part authors critically review the literature, highlight current issues and explore possibilities for the future. The final part examines how, in recent years, the study of music psychology has broadened to include a range of other disciplines. It considers the way that research has developed in relation to technological advances, and points the direction for further development in the field. With contributions from internationally recognized experts across 55 chapters, it is an essential resource for students and researchers in psychology and musicology.
Call Number: ML3830 .O9 2016Publication Date: 2018
The Art and Technique of Performance by
This volume teaches performance skills by examining pre-concert preparation and how to lessen performance anxiety. It covers practice, public relations, and concert booking as well as psychology and creativity.
Call Number: ML3830 .P83 1994 (Music Oversize)Publication Date: 1994
A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances by
Eloise Ristad deals here with complex problems which torment and cripple so many of our most creative and talented people, and she does so with compassion, wisdom, and wit. The problem of stage fright, for instance, is a suffering of epidemic proportions in our society, and involves modalities of thought and projections that rob spontaneity and enthusiasm in artistic performance. Those interested in creative education have long felt that an entirely new, holistic and nurturing process of allowing individuals to discover and express themselves is needed if our educational system is to avoid the neuroses and creative blocks of the past generation. This book illuminates through its conversational style the destructive inhibitions, fears, and guilt experienced by all of us as we fail to break through to creativity. This story is told to me day after day in conservatories and college campuses around the world. Indeed I felt at times that she was telling of my own most petty and debilitating fears. But what is important, A Soprano on Her Head supplies answers and methods for overcoming these universal psychological blocks--methods that have not only been proven in her own studio, but which trace back through history to the oldest and wisest systems of understanding the integration of mind and body. The work bears scrutiny both scientifically and holistically. This is a wonderful book. Read it. You are not alone.
Call Number: MT2 .R57Publication Date: 1982
Managing Performance Stress: Models and Methods by
Over the past 16 years, new theories and models have emerged in the stress and anxiety knowledge base regarding the unique forms associated with performance. Existing theories have been applied in creative and helpful ways to better explicate relationships between stress and anxiety with performance. Recently, more sophisticated statistical strategies have been applied to data collected with performers, and additional, safe and expedient strategies for managing stress and anxiety have surfaced. Despite these new advances, the field has been lacking an up-to-date and practical text for undergraduate and graduate students in performing or performance-mentoring programs. Managing Performance Stress examines psychological and psychophysiological models and theories that explain causes of anxiety and stress. An easy-to-use reference work for athletes, musicians, dancers and actors as well as those who devise and conduct their training programs, the book presents exercises, coaching devices, and strategies for conquering stress and anxiety. It is an invaluable resource for those who are performers, will be performers, or who are preparing to mentor, coach or teach performers. The principles enunciated in Managing Performance Stress apply equally to the musician holding an oboe and the athlete holding a baseball bat. The issues explored and the theories, principles, models, hypotheses discussed all bear upon and clarify arousal, stress and anxiety related to artistic and sport performance, irrespective of its kind.
Call Number: BF575.A6 P37 2006 (General Collection)Publication Date: 2006
The Confident Performer by
Every performer has suffered stage fright, but sometimes the anxiety is so overwhelming it prevents the individual from delivering the best performance possible. The Confident Performer offers new insight into the issue, revealing ways to manage -- even harness -- anxiety to improve performance. This book presents proven methods that any performer can use, including guidelines on: positive self-talk, mental imagery, relaxation, health, developing routines, and much more.
Call Number: BF575.A6 R65 1998 (General Collection)Publication Date: 1998
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.