Stage Fright

by Virginia Kerr

Published by Turning Point Training Institute (2014) reviewed by Diane McDonald

Singers have the power to effect change in both themselves and the listener and while the artform allows for expression of ideas, thoughts and emotions, for many singers a tension exists between their desire to create and their fear of this creativity.

(Kerr, 2014:11)

Virginia Kerr is one of our most distinguished sopranos, well known nationally and internationally. She is also a psychotherapist and a tutor, teaching both trainee therapists and budding opera singers.

It is difficult to understand quite how she manages to fit so much into her life already, yet somehow she has also managed to add ‘writer’ to the list.

Stage Fright looks at the impact of musical performance anxiety on singers, wondering what part psychotherapy can play in ensuring that talented singers can reach their full potential. This is the first in a series of monographs, published by Turning Point Institute; a monograph being defined as a detailed written study on a particular subject. In under one hundred pages, Kerr manages to take a succinct, concise and yet in-depth look at both the psychological and the physiological aspects of musical performance anxiety. The book maintains a structure familiar to many of us who have completed a thesis: introduction, rationale, methodology, analysis and discussion. It is certainly no easy task to condense a Masters thesis into an interesting and flowing narrative which both educates and entertains the reader, but this is exactly what Kerr has achieved with the support and guidance of Dr Anne O’Connor and Professor Terry Hyland.

The book looks at a number of different themes. Kerr presents an historical exploration of the human voice through time, and throughout our development from childhood to adulthood. We are introduced to the world of the classical singer, and of the particular challenges faced by those who choose this profession. Kerr examines the different aspects of anxiety: performance anxiety, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), social phobia and the specific traits of musical performance anxiety. A number of modalities are put under the spotlight to see which therapeutic approach is most helpful in addressing the issues: Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a Psychodynamic approach or a Humanistic approach.

Kerr holds a keen interest in how one person can find performing exciting and enjoyable while another can be completely petrified. Both the background literature presented in this book and Kerr’s ten interviews with classically-trained singers have shown a correlation between self-confidence and musical performance anxiety. This book identifies the need for both a physiological and a psychological understanding of the ways in which anxiety affects singers, and how psychotherapists may be well positioned to offer this type of support and understanding.

Classically-trained singers can experience unique types of anxiety, different from the general public. They often move away from home at a young age, perform in front of audiences, and work with challenging - and sometimes domineering - directors or conductors. Also, singing is a challenging task which, by its very nature, provokes physical tension. Kerr notes that the right relationship between breath and relaxation is a one of the main features of voice production (2014: 24).

Instrument and instrumentalist are one for singers, a concept which we as psychotherapists can relate to. It is our bodies, minds, emotions and thoughts which we utilise to help our clients grow; so too, the classically-trained singer who hopes to evoke an emotional journey in the listener. The effects of anxiety on classical singers are exacerbated by this very fact as the voice is internal. When a singer is their own instrument, vulnerability is heightened (2014: 260). Kerr outlines that singers must maintain a degree of vulnerability in order that they might ‘move’ their audience emotionally and remain open to what is unfolding on stage, but it is a balancing act because a self-confidence is also needed to perform.

for every successful classical singer there are many for whom a career has not been possible, due to the impact of crippling and debilitating musical performance anxiety.

(Kerr, 2014: 15)

The last issue of Inside Out featured an article by Brett Kahr that looked at a certain vocal quality which he feels is needed in our profession as psychotherapists. Kahr notes that while the voice is an integral part of our work with clients, few psychotherapists have written about this instrument (Kahr, 2021: 58). While Kerr does not explore the use of the voice by psychotherapists, she does look at the voice as a “bridge between the inner and outer worlds” (2014: 60), by showing that the physical body and our emotional states are interdependent (2014: 61).

The parallels between singer-as-instrument and therapist-as-instrument were evident to me as I read this book. Classical singers are sometimes unable to separate themselves from their working or performing selves; a ‘failure’ in their performance can be interpreted as a ‘failure’ in themselves. I would like to have seen these parallels explored further here - perhaps there’s scope for a similar study looking at the impact of anxiety on trainee and newly qualified therapists. Kerr’s book has identified the place of experience in helping singers to manage their anxiety and I wonder whether the same might apply for psychotherapists.

Kerr holds a keen interest in the psyche of musicians and chose this as an area of study due to the lack of research into this topic. Indeed, a glance through her reference list shows that the majority of studies available as background reading were conducted over fifteen years ago. She displays a natural curiosity about the many aspects that can prevent a singer from reaching their fullest potential and of how psychotherapy can be used to address issues of self-confidence and self-esteem. I found the reference to Eric Berne’s ‘life scripts’ interesting in helping singers who may be hindered by the ‘I am a fraud’ script, the ‘self-saboteur’ script or the ‘approach avoidance’ script. Managing these scripts presents a challenge for classical singers who suffer from anxiety, some suffering so acutely that it sounds the death knell for potentially successful careers.

Stage Fright is available from www.turningpoint.ie

Diane McDonald MIAHIP, MIACP worked for many years as a musician, actor and dancer in Irish theatre. She is now a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist working in private practice in Lucan, Co. Dublin. She has a particular interest in working with couples. Diane served for three years on the Editorial Board of Inside Out. She was awarded her MSc by Turning Point/ UCC and is currently completing a tutor internship. Diane can be contacted at info@dianemcdonald.ie.

Reference

Kahr, B. (2021). The musicality of the therapeutic voice: Confessions of an honorary Irishman. Inside Out (93).

IAHIP 2021 - INSIDE OUT 95 - Autumn 2021