A doctorate student from Huddersfield University is looking to gain assistance from the brass band community to assist with her ongoing research into music performance anxiety (MPA).

Fiona Smith, is a Psychology Research Doctoral student, as well as being an enthusiastic brass band player herself. She completed a Masters by Research in 2020, where she undertook a large study that explored and compared UK contesting and non-contesting brass band players' performance anxiety and coping strategies.

From conductors to players

Due to that positive response, Fiona decided to enrol onto a part-time Doctoral programme in 2021 and completed her first phase of her research last year which focused on conductors' experiences and perceptions of being open about MPA.

Following further extensive analysis work throughout the year, Fiona is now ready to recruit for the next (and final) stage of her research and would like to find out more about experiences and perceptions of being open about MPA from player's perspective.

Focus groups

Fiona is hoping to run a series of focus groups with brass band players between mid-October and the New Year (recruitment depending).

Fiona is looking for brass band players' who are aged 18 and over, who play or have played in UK and/or Norwegian contest brass bands regularly within the last 10 years.

If you are interested, please click on the link below for more information.
https://fsphd.d-m-smith.co.uk/questionnaire/

Fiona is now ready to recruit for the next (and final) stage of her research and would like to find out more about experiences and perceptions of being open about MPA from player's perspective4BR

Further information:

Fiona's Facebook Research Page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/fspsychbrassbandresearch/

Fiona's first published academic journal paper can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/36esmuap

The full Master's thesis can be found at: https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/35413/1/FINAL%20THESIS%20-%20Smith%2C%20Fiona.pdf