Can Taught Sung Improvisation within the Vocal Coaching Studio Mitigate the Effects of Music Performance Anxiety in Singers?

Music performance anxiety is a prevalent issue among musicians, including both instrumentalists and singers (Kenny, 2011), impacting their ability to perform (Ladano, 2016). Research (Carroll, 2021) suggests music coaches are a preferred source of help in ameliorating music performance anxiety, but vocal coaches largely lack the training to provide this. This paper seeks to explore sung improvisation as a strategy to alleviate music performance anxiety among singers within the vocal coaching studio. Previous research (Allen, 2011; Kim, 2008; Kim 2005) suggests music improvisation can reduce music performance anxiety in instrumentalists. However, its application with singers remains underexplored.