"Music Performance Anxiety will lead to impaired performance, emotional disturbance, and often a curtailment of a promising or established career"
David Baker 1999

If you have visited this part of the web site you will be either a professional or aspiring musician. Here at IMPACT we have developed a dynamic, caring and professional approach to musicians' developmental problems, which recognizes the technical and emotional difficulties of performance. The programme is based on half a century of academic, clinical and performance experience.

"Performance Anxiety - That terrible pain - that anguish that is not described"
Ibnace Padererewski

We present an opportunity for you, the musician, to quickly learn how to conquer your fears, leaving you to maximize your natural talents for the benefit of yourself and your audience.

The programme is an intensive, intimate programme where the skills you will learn can be practiced under the guidance of skilled professionals whilst you will have access to a concert grand piano, accompanists, or soloists, to enable you to develop your new coping strategies.

The therapeutic intervention is based on research studies which combine the work of a number of internationally recognized psychologists, who are conducting experiments to further understand the process of anxiety, perfectionism and cognition.

"I have to say that it is my belief that the fear of making a mistake sits at the centre of all performance anxiety. This type of social phobia is the prime cause of tension in technique, stilted performances, and dissatisfied musicians. It is the desire for perfectionism as an end in itself which is so destructive"
David Baker 1999

David Baker has designed a novel clinical approach to the treatment of music performance anxiety based on the findings of these scientifically researched studies, and works with a concert pianist, to reinforce the skills which the client has learned.

A maximum of three clients undertake any one programme. Or should the client wish then a course may be dedicated to him or herself.

Whilst certain mental processing activities are common to all human beings, we recognize at IMPACT that each individual brings his or her own unique and intimate approach to performance problems.

An initial assessment is made so that some of the client's core philosophical ideas can be detected. These core ideas will sit at the centre of his/her performance anxiety. The client is taught how to detect and change the defective ideas which generate the anxiety

"Music Performance Anxiety is a serious problem and one that is not necessarily alleviated by long experience of Performing in Public"
Andrew Steptoe 1989

It is essential that clients are able to put into practice new ideas in a music setting and in a way which is consistently challenging but not overwhelming. To this end clients have access to a concert grand piano, recording facilities and a state of the art hi fi system. As appropriate, soloists or accompanists will be made available so that the client is able to test and reinforce the coping skills.

David Baker is a psychologist who brings his understanding of fundamental human disturbance to music performance anxiety. Think of the analogy with someone who has developed a bad golf swing - I hope you never see mine! If you go to a golf pro who tries to re-teach you from first principles, then you might never recover as you try to learn everything from new. If you are an established player it is much better to seek assistance from someone who has the skill to identify one or two fundamental errors - give you the skills to cope with changing those, and then let you apply the lessons to your playing. That's what I do with musicians who make themselves anxious when they play.

We know at IMPACT that the progress of musicians can be fraught with difficulties, not the least because musicians are often so creative and feel so strongly about their music. The ability to recognize the special nature of musicians, yet remain 'hard headed' enough to change dysfunctional thinking is an essential part of the structured work undertaken by IMPACT

David Baker is a member of the
British Association for Performing Arts Medicine Trust

For more information please call 01227 832286 or please visit
our main web site at
www.cbtuk.co.uk