Music-related background and experience as correlates of music performance anxiety among Japanese musicians

Prior music performance anxiety (MPA) studies have predominantly sampled university music students. Although MPA is recognized as a global concern, evidence from Asia remains limited. To address these gaps, this study examined associations between MPA and individual attributes in a large and diverse sample of Japanese musicians aged 19-64 years across a range of musical backgrounds. We analyzed data from 390 participants who completed an online questionnaire including the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory-Revised and the Performance Anxiety Questionnaire, capturing both general dispositional aspects of MPA and performance-situation anxiety. Participants comprised 194 professional musicians and 196 amateur musicians. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between participant attributes and MPA measures. Attendance at a music-specialized school was positively associated with MPA, whereas greater lifetime public performance experience was negatively associated with MPA. These findings suggest that the educational environment and accumulated performance experience may shape the development of MPA and should inform future research aimed at clarifying underlying mechanisms as well as the design of targeted interventions.