The purpose of this study is to examine a comprehensive approach to raise performance skills
in music conservatory students, based on instruction of deliberate practice training and
psychological techniques related with stage presence. The research is speaking to inadequacies in
how we teach music — that playing an instrument is not the only thing which matters. The study
was conducted with sixty students (30 in a standard curriculum control group and 30 in an
experimental supplementary training group). The intervention included structured workshops;
simulated performances, that is, mock performances; and psychological sessions designed to help a
performer enhance his or her performance quality and deal with anxiety.
Results also showed that the experimental group exhibited more self-reported performance
skills and less anxiety at pretest than the control group. Interviews provided qualitative data that this
was true, as students described increased confidence, improved stage presence and even more
audience engagement. Combining these methods produced a substantial model for systematically
improving the technical competence and expressive capacity of student performers.
The study ends by suggesting the superiority of a holistic pedagogy approach combining areas
such as technique and performance. These results imply that adding psychological training and
focusing practice into music education programs may help student musicians to face the demands of professional performance. Longitudinal research should examine the potential long-term effects of
this strategy as well as its suitability for use in a range of performance contexts and student
populations. The strong implications of this research are for a holistic, student-centered, approach to
music education to nurture Confident Expressive Resilient performers.