It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Thursday 19th February 2026, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM (London Time)
Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. It affects musicians both on and off the stage, impacting performance quality and enjoyment, health and wellbeing, relationships, identity and self-worth. At its most severe, performance anxiety can threaten, or even end, studies and careers. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety.
Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, through discussing key issues including performance anxiety’s definition, assessment, impact and management. We will then explore alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology, my recent autoethnographic study exploring the intersection between my mindfulness and performance practices, and the much-loved children’s classic ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’.
Lastly, we will discuss the theoretical and practical implications of de-pathologising and reconceptualising performance anxiety including strategies to support performers in the practice room and on stage. This session will provide insight into practical approaches for musicians experiencing performance anxiety based on empirical research.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available
Rebecca Herman
After training as a cellist at the Royal Academy of Music, Rebecca Herman performed all over the world with ensembles including the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Britten Sinfonia, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and English National Opera. In 2017, Rebecca stopped performing due to debilitating stage fright and went back into education to find answers. After completing an MSc in Performance Science in 2018, Rebecca won an LAHP award to pursue doctoral research at the RCM’s Centre for Performance Science.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Tuesday 3rd March 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Sex differences in VOICE!
Dr Richard Lissemore
This two-hour workshop, led by performer, articulatory phoneticist, and voice physiologist, Dr. Richard Lissemore, will examine in detail the role that biological sex plays in the perception and pedagogy of singing voices. We'll consider how parameters such as anatomy, physiology, articulation, resonance, and radiated acoustics influence the perceptions and pedagogical decision-making of singing teachers.
Wednesday 4th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 11th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 18th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 25th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 1st April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 8th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Learn to Coach RP and SSBE – a Certificate in Accent Coaching
Louisa Morgan
This six-week course is an opportunity to learn about both Received Pronunciation and Standard Southern British English. Rather than a course in learning how to speak RP/SSBE (there are many brilliant available courses for this already), this course is about learning how to coach it.
Thursday 5th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 12th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Acting Emotion: Perspectives from the Masters
Louisa Morgan
Stanislavski said, “our artistic emotions are, at first, as shy as wild animals and they hide in the depths of our souls.” Michael Chekhov said, our bodies should be like a “sensitive membrane, a kind of receiver and conveyor of the subtlest images, feelings, emotions and will impulses.” And Meisner said we should be “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Join Louisa Morgan in this 2-part course as she explores a range of well-known acting practitioners to investigate what they believed (or believe) about emotion and how they approached it in their work. She'll compare their work to see where they align and where they diverge.