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Psychology of Music
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Article

Silent illumination: a study on Chan (Zen) meditation, anxiety, and musical performance quality

Peter Lin1*, Joanne Chang2, Vance Zemon3, and Elizabeth Midlarsky1

1 Columbia University, Usa
2 City University of New York, usa
3 Yeshiva University, Usa

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.


  Abstract

This study investigated the effects of Chan (Zen) meditation on musical performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Nineteen participants were recruited from music conservatories and randomly assigned to either an eight-week meditation group or a wait-list control group. After the intervention, all participants performed in a public concert. Outcome measures were performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Meditation practiced over a short term did not significantly improve musical performance quality. The control group demonstrated a significant decrease in performance quality with increases in performance anxiety. The meditation group demonstrated the opposite effect – a positive linear relation between performance quality and performance anxiety. This finding indicates that enhanced concentration and mindfulness (silent illumination), cultivated by Chan practice, might enable one to channel performance anxiety to improve musical performance.

Key Words: acceptance, Buddhism, mindfulness, performance anxiety, vipassana

First published on October 10, 2007, doi:10.1177/0305735607080840

Psychology of Music 2008;36:139.

A more recent version of this article appeared on April 1, 2008

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