The intervention effect of piano performance practice on the anxiety of college students

Abstract Background At present, the detection rate of anxiety among college students is on the rise and has become an important factor affecting their physical and mental health. Existing studies have confirmed that music intervention can effectively regulate emotions, but there are relatively few targeted intervention studies focusing on piano performance practice for the anxiety of college students. Based on this, the research takes the emotional regulation mechanism of music practice as the theoretical support and uses the experimental method to explore the intervention effect of piano performance practice on the anxiety of college students, providing a new practical path for colleges and universities to carry out mental health education for college students. Methods The study adopted a randomized controlled experimental design. A total of 120 college students with positive anxiety screening were recruited from a certain university as the research subjects. They were divided into the experimental group (60 people) and the control group (60 people) through the random number table method. The experimental group received piano performance practice intervention for 8 weeks, twice a week, for 45 minutes each time. The content included basic performance skills training, classic soothing music practice and group performance demonstration. The control group received no intervention and only maintained a normal study and life. The study takes the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) as the core assessment tool, and at the same time uses the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) index to assist in quantifying emotional physiological responses. Results After 4 weeks of intervention, the standard score of SAS in the experimental group decreased to 45.67 ± 3.89, significantly lower than 51.23 ± 4.01 in the control group (t = 7.215, p.001), and the high-frequency component of HRV rose to 41.56 ± 5.89, significantly higher than 34.12 ± 5.23 in the control group (t = 6.892, p.001). After 8 weeks of intervention, the standard score of SAS in the experimental group further decreased to 38.21 ± 3.56, while that in the control group was 50.98 ± 3.78 (t = 16.324, p.001). The high-frequency component of HRV in the experimental group reached 48.34 ± 6.21, and that in the control group was 33.98 ± 5.09 (t = 13.567, p.001). The one-month follow-up after the intervention showed that the standard SAS score of the experimental group remained at 39.56 ± 3.72, significantly lower than that of the control group (51.12 ± 3.89) (t = 14.893, p.001), and the total effective rate of anxiety relief in the experimental group within 8 weeks reached 83.33%. Discussion The research results confirm that piano performance practice has a significant and sustained intervention effect on the anxiety of college students. The mechanism may be related to the shift of attention, emotional expression and release, and physiological relaxation response during the performance process. This research achievement provides an operational practical plan for mental health education in colleges and universities. Colleges and universities can incorporate piano performance practice into the mental health service system by offering basic piano courses, forming piano interest groups and other forms. Future research can further explore the differentiated effects of different performance contents and intervention durations on college students with different anxiety types. Funding No. BTTCKYQD2024-BS10.