I have a voice but I just can't sing: a narrative investigation of singing and social anxiety

Abstract

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.