Mental Health, Motivation, and Performance in Music Students and Professional Musicians

Hard work and sacrifice are necessary for success in all areas of life, including arts education. Striving for excellence in the musical arts, especially as a performer, means regular practice and long-term engagement.In their search for the determinants of educational success, the authors of both scientific and popular-scientific publications highlight the importance of such factors as: high self-control and patience, willpower and conscientiousness, strong growth orientation, prolonged and regular practice, as well as determination. Frequently, these very same publications note that most processes which intensely stimulate motivation and drive also have a dark side. Recent years have seen the dynamic growth of studies which differentiate high harmonious engagement in work or study, which leads to improved work outcomes as well as health and happiness, from obsessive or risky engagement, which may stem from personality factors or environmental pressures, among others. Risky engagement may lead to burnout, lower productivity, poorer physical and mental health, and a sense of a lack of meaning and satisfaction in life.In this context, it should not come as a surprise that being a professional musician is one of the most stressful artistic occupations. The most significant contributing factors include generalized and long-term stress, elevated anxiety, and social pressure. The specifics of the professional musician’s job require daily practice, both during education as well as later, during one’s career. The pressure from the education system and the teachers (as well as music critics, competition juries, and audiences), constant striving for improvement, and the resulting concern over (real or possible) mistakes may lead to numerous worries and uncertainty about one’s level of performance. This motivates further effort and increased engagement in practicing a given composition, resulting in some students having a tendency toward dysfunctional persistence. This maladaptive perseverance in young musicians typically emerges as a coping strategy for addressing various professional and social stressors, as well as their associated psychological consequences. These stressors include high and exacting standards, intense demands on the profession, lower mental health, and a lack of social support. The aforementioned difficulties of pursuing a life passion and the addictive tendencies of workaholism not only affect a musician’s professional life but also increasingly reduce their well-being, social and family life, and health.The current Research Topic is an attempt to answer the call made by Jan Wierszyłowski, the doyen of Polish psychology of music, to study all potential scientific and applied solutions which may allow musicians to practice, compose, and perform more effectively. Many young musicians leave their studies because they lack understanding of the complex psychological mechanisms involved in preparation for public performance as well as the specifics of the musical profession. A precise delineation and explanation of the risk factors and causal mechanisms in musicians provides the opportunity of not only retaining many talented musicians but also to improve the everyday conditions of professional musicians, especially during performances.The Research Topic aims to synthesize and deepen a scientific understanding of the multifaceted determinants of musicians’ (both students and active professionals) health and quality of life as well as the motivational processes involved in music performance. The domains encompassed by the proposed Research Topic are conducive towards psychological (including the psychology of music), educational, personality, clinical, health and wellbeing, neurophysiological, social, or cross-cultural perspectives. We encourage submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:Performance-related stress and anxiety • Music performance stress • Music performance anxiety • Pre-performance anxiety • Stage fright • Musician trait anxiety • Musician negative affect • Motivation and engagementMusician self-efficacy • Musician motivation and perfectionism • Study addiction among musicians • Harmonious and obsessive passion among musicians • Problematic behaviours among young musicians • Health, wellbeing, and copingMusician health • Musician coping strategies • Musician social support and social stressors • Music engagement and subjective wellbeingWe welcome Original Research, Reviews, Meta-Analyses, Theoretical articles, Opinion pieces, and Methodological papers that directly address the Research Topic. Topic editors: Rafał Lawendowski, Krzysztof Basiński, Oswaldo Lorenzo Quiles, João Fortunato Soares-Quadros Jr. Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78639/mental-health-motivation-and-performance-in-music-students-and-professional-musicians