Assessment of music performance anxiety in late childhood: A validation study of the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A).

The Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI–A), the first standardized measure of music performance anxiety (MPA) for adolescents, was developed using an Australian sample of 381 talented young musicians, ages 12 to 19 years. This study validates the MPAI–A on a younger sample of 84 band musicians from the United States, ages 11 to 13 years. The MPAI–A was reliable (Cronbach’s .91) and valid for this sample. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant positive relationships with measures of social phobia and trait anxiety. These results are comparable to the findings of the original sample and support the use of this instrument as a screening tool for MPA in young musicians.