Page 136 - How to Shine on Stage

ty for individual introverted immersion into the world of the psyche, on
the other, extroverted sharing of music with the audience. Challenges in
reconciling these polarities are faced by young musicians when they step
onto the stage; hence, it is not surprising that the psychological aspect
of preparing for a musical performance is so important. Another chal-
lenge lies in the fact that the evaluation of musical performance is always
subjectively biased. How then can success in such a complex field be de-
fined? The experience of success depends greatly on the perceptions and
134 criteria of each individual. Something that may inspire a sense of success
in one person may not be particularly meaningful to another. Criteria
vary greatly, ranging from internal factors (a sense of pleasure, flow, cu-
riosity, or interest) to external factors (awards in competitions, successful
How to Shine on Stage musicians that they have extremely high criteria for success and are rare-
auditions, good grades, or positive music reviews). It is generally true for
ly satisfied with their performance; if they are, this feeling of satisfaction
is very short-lived. The holistic success of a musical performance primar-
ily stems from the ability of the musician to combine internal and exter-
nal criteria for success. Each musician must ask themselves what musical
success means to them and strive to achieve goals aligned with this defi-
nition on their career path.
In the second chapter of the monograph, we address the factors in-
fluencing the success of musical performance, categorizing them into in-
direct and direct factors. In the part on indirect factors influencing the
success of musical performance, we deal with abilities, personality traits,
performance self-esteem, self-efficacy, motivation, and self-regulation.
We found that musical abilities can be divided into general and specif-
ic categories. We define them as universal and innate in human genetic
potential, just like language abilities, for example. Above-average musi-
cal abilities manifest as musical giftedness, which, with appropriate en-
vironmental stimuli and individual motivation, individuals shape into
musical talent. In addition to musical abilities, the ability to create men-
tal representations is also crucial for musical success. The latter is closely
linked to audiation, a fundamental universal musical ability representing
the capacity to imagine sound without the actual presence of sound. Suc-
cessful musicians also exhibit certain personality traits, among which
openness, androgyny, originality, independence, self- motivation, per-
severance, sensitivity, high capacity for interpersonal communication,
need for attention, and anxiety stand out. In the interplay of experienc-
ing one’s own musical abilities and the personality traits of the musician,
performance self-esteem is formed, which in its active form of self-effi-
cacy enables the self-regulation of the musician. Self-regulation encom-