Michiko Yoshie

Music performance anxiety in skilled pianists: effects of social-evaluative performance situation on subjective, autonomic, and electromyographic reactions

Music performance anxiety (MPA), or stage fright in music performance, is a serious problem for many musicians, because performance impairment accompanied by MPA can threaten their career. The present study sought to clarify on how a social-evaluative performance situation affects subjective, autonomic, and motor stress responses in pianists. Measurements of subjective state anxiety, heart rate (HR), sweat rate (SR), and electromyographic (EMG) activity of upper extremity muscles were obtained while 18 skilled pianists performed a solo piano piece(s) of their choice under stressful (competition) and non-stressful (rehearsal) conditions. Participants reported greater anxiety in the competition condition, which confirmed the effectiveness of stress manipulation. The HR and SR considerably increased from the rehearsal to competition condition reflecting the activation of sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, participants showed higher levels of the EMG magnitude of proximal muscles (biceps brachii and upper trapezius) and the co-contraction of antagonistic muscles in the forearm (extensor digitorum communis and flexor digitorum superficialis) in the competition condition. Although these responses can be interpreted as integral components of an adaptive biological system that creates a state of motor readiness in an unstable or unpredictable environment, they can adversely influence pianists by disrupting their fine motor control on stage and by increasing the risk of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Traits and cognitions of perfectionism and their relation with coping style, effort, achievement, and performance anxiety in Japanese musicians

Research has shown that 2 major facets of perfectionism can be differentiated: perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. In order to investigate how these different facets of perfectionism are related to coping, effort, achievement, and performance anxiety in musicians, we asked 275 professional and amateur Japanese musicians to complete measures of perfectionism traits, perfectionism cognitions, coping style, effort, achievement, and performance anxiety. While both facets of perfectionism showed a similar pattern of correlation with coping measures, they were differently associated with effort, achievement, and performance anxiety. In addition, results of hierarchical regression analysis showed the incremental validity of perfectionism cognitions in explaining variance in performance anxiety above the variance explained by other variables, such as trait perfectionism. These findings demonstrate that perfectionism in musicians has both positive and negative elements.

Effects of State Anxiety on Music Performance: Relationship between the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Subscales and Piano Performance

This study investigated the relationship between the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R, Cox, Martens, & Russell, 2003; Jones & Swain, 1992; Martens, Vealey, & Burton, 1990) subscales and the quality of music performance to compare the anxiety-performance relationship in pianists with that in athletes and to gain insights into the effective coping strategies for music performance anxiety (MPA). Fifty one students (15 women and 36 men) aged 18–26 years (M = 20.6, SD = 2.3) completed the CSAI-2R just prior to their individual piano performances in a concert, followed by the self-evaluation of performance quality. The CSAI-2R demonstrated adequate psychometric properties when applied to MPA. Consistent with the previous findings in sport psychology, correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses showed that self-confidence intensity positively predicted global performance (p < .001). Cognitive anxiety intensity negatively predicted technical accuracy (p < .05), while cognitive anxiety direction positively predicted global performance (p < .05). On the other hand, the correlation between somatic anxiety and performance was non-significant. We conclude that acquiring self-confidence, reducing pre-performance cognitive anxiety, and interpreting the symptoms of cognitive anxiety as being facilitative to the subsequent performance will improve performance quality. Based on the present findings, the effectiveness of mental skills training for athletes and some educational methods in treating MPA is discussed.

Motor/Autonomic Stress Responses in a Competitive Piano Performance

The present study examined the effects of psychological stress on performance quality, autonomic responses, and upper extremity muscle activity in skilled pianists through comparisons between stressful (competition) and nonstressful (rehearsal) conditions. We observed increased levels of subjective anxiety, autonomic arousal, and electromyographic activity in the competition condition, which could contribute to the impairment of performance quality. The results provide important practical implications for enhancing performance quality as well as preventing playing‐related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians.

Electromyographic analysis of lower limbs during baseball batting

Abstract Nakata, H, Miura, A, Yoshie, M, Kanosue, K, and Kudo, K. Electromyographic analysis of lower limbs during baseball batting. J Strength Cond Res 27(5): 1179–1187, 2013—We investigated the muscle activation pattern of lower limbs in baseball batting by recording surface electromyography (sEMG) from 8 muscles, the left and right rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles. The muscle activities were compared between 10 skilled baseball players and 10 unskilled novices. The batting motion was divided into 7 phases: waiting, shifting body weight, stepping, landing, swing, impact, and follow through. The timing for these phases was analyzed by using a high-speed video camera. The onset latencies of sEMG were significantly earlier in baseball players at the left-RF (p < 0.01), right-BF (p < 0.05), and left-BF (p < 0.01). The peak amplitudes of sEMG activity were greater in skilled players at the right-RF (p < 0.01), right-BF (p < 0.01), left-BF (p < 0.01), left-TA (p < 0.01), right-MG (p < 0.01), and left-MG (p < 0.05). The timing for shifting, stepping, and landing was also significantly earlier in skilled players (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively). Our findings suggest that preparations for the swing are made earlier in skilled baseball players who recruit their lower muscles for the swing more effectively than novices.

Slow-Down Exercise Reverses Sensorimotor Reorganization in Focal Hand Dystonia: A Case Study of a Pianist

Focal hand dystonia in musicians, which is characterized by involuntary flexion and/or extension of fingers while playing musical instruments, is a disabling neurological disorder that can even threaten their careers. The present study investigated whether or how a non-invasive intervention for focal hand dystonia called “slow-down exercise” affects motor performance, muscular activity, and somatosensation in a dystonic pianist. The patient was asked to performa simple five-finger exercise at three different tempi on a digital piano, just prior to, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after the onset of the slow-down exercise training. As the rehabilitation proceeded, the patient improved the regularity of piano keystrokes, as objectively quantified using musical instrument digital interface signals. Measurements of surface electromyographic activity from the forearm muscles demonstrated that the patient gradually regained the inherent bilateral difference in the co-contraction level of the extensor digitorum communis and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles. Furthermore, the practice of slow-down exercise lowered the two-point discrimination thresholds of affected fingers, indicating the restoration of tactile spatial resolution. These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of slow-down exercise for the treatment of focal hand dystonia but also provide objective evidence that a simple behavioral intervention can reverse the reorganization of sensorimotor neural networks in dystonic patients.

Electromyographic activity of lower limbs to stop baseball batting

Abstract Nakata, H, Miura, A, Yoshie, M, and Kudo, K. Electromyographic activity of lower limbs to stop baseball batting. J Strength Cond Res 26(6): 1461–1468, 2012—We investigated the muscle activation pattern of the lower limbs for the stopping motion of baseball batting by recording surface electromyography (EMG) from 8 muscles, the left and right rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles. First, muscle activities for ‘Swing’ and ‘Stopping’ trials were examined in 10 skilled baseball players and 10 unskilled novices. Second, the characteristics of EMG activities for ‘Stopping’ were compared between the 2 groups. The peak latencies of EMG were significantly shorter in ‘Stopping’ than in ‘Swing’ at the right-TA, left-BF, and left-MG between both groups. The peak amplitudes of EMG activity were significantly larger in ‘Swing’ than in ‘Stopping’ at the right-TA, left-BF, and left-MG in both groups. In addition, the peak amplitudes of EMG activity for ‘Stopping’ were significantly larger in the players than in novices at the right-RF and right-TA. The characteristics of EMG activity clearly differed between ‘Swing’ and ‘Stopping,’ and between baseball players and nonplayers, indicating that evaluating the EMG activity in batting enables the understanding of proficiency. Our findings should help players, novices, and coaches to optimize batting performance.

Differences in the Head Movement During Baseball Batting between Skilled Players and Novices

Abstract Nakata, H, Miura, A, Yoshie, M, and Kudo, K. Differences in the head movement during baseball batting between skilled players and novices. J Strength Cond Res 26(10): 2632–2640, 2012–We investigated the pattern of head movement during baseball batting in 8 skilled players and 9 unskilled novices, using a high-speed video camera. The 2 directions of head movement were analyzed as an X-axis (from the home plate to the pitchers plate) and Z-axis (vertical downward). On the X-axis, peak latency, peak value, the distance from the peak to the value at bat-ball impact, and data variability were compared between the 2 groups. On the Z-axis, peak latency, downward distance, and data variability were analyzed. Peak latency on the X-axis occurred significantly earlier in baseball players than in novices (p < 0.001), and the difference between the minimum peak and impact was significantly larger in the players (p < 0.05). The variability in peak latency on the X-axis was significantly larger in the novices (p < 0.05). The variability in peak value on the Z-axis was also significantly larger in the novices (p < 0.05). Our findings showed that the significant differences in head movement between the 2 groups should help baseball players, beginners, coaches, and strength and conditioning professionals to improve performance, be effectively applied to actual practice, and enhance coaching for batting.