ERIC Number: EJ763743
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Mar
Pages: 15
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1461-3808
EISSN: N/A
I Have a Voice but I Just Can't Sing: A Narrative Investigation of Singing and Social Anxiety
Abril, Carlos R.
Music Education Research, v9 n1 p1-15 Mar 2007
The purpose of this study was to investigate adult singing anxieties arising within the context of a music methods course. Participants were three female elementary education majors who reported suffering from anxiety related to singing. Anxiety toward singing was evidenced through observations and participants' descriptions of cognitive, somatic, behavioral, and affective symptoms. Several themes emerged from data collected over a 10-week period through participant journals, interviews, and field texts. Singing anxiety only seemed to arise within a social context, where participants seemed concerned with the possibility that they would be personally evaluated by others. The self-presentational theory of social anxiety was supported by these cases. All participants traced the roots of their anxiety to negative experiences in a school music program. Music teachers and family members seemed to have the greatest influence in shaping their beliefs about singing ability and singer identity.
Descriptors: Social Environment, Education Majors, Elementary Education, Singing, Music Education, Music Teachers, Methods Courses, Anxiety, Elementary School Teachers, Preservice Teachers, Context Effect, Social Influences, Teacher Influence, Family Influence, Student Experience
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A