Performance anxiety is a common problem for many musicians. Learning how to manage this anxiety and handle the stress that comes with a performance is difficult when there are not many opportunities to practice in front of an audience. When a musician gets the opportunity to play in a concert venue, the stakes are often too high to experiment with anxiety-reducing techniques. This results in musicians not being able to properly deal with performance anxiety.
Virtual environments have been shown to be an effective learning tool, offering the musician real-life experiences without negative consequences. Therefore, PEARL developed the Performance Lab, in which music students of Codarts (University of the Arts Rotterdam) can practice their performance or audition in front of a virtual audience. The development currently focusses on music students. However, PEARL aims to eventually develop the Performance Lab further, so that it can also be used for a broader target group, for example to practice public speaking.
This project is funded by Codarts Rotterdam. The first steps of this project were taken by the Royal College of Music.
