Reflective Commentary

This is a reflective commentary based on my experiences of performing in the RCM performance simulator. Nowadays, simulators are widely used in different fields to assist learning. For example, a surgical simulator has been used to train surgeons and was proven to be a valid tool as part of a surgical training programme. Flight simulators have also been used to train pilots for a long time, and have been proven to increase training effectiveness when combined with real aircraft training. This proves that a simulator can be an effective tool to help people develop the skills they need. They also reduce part of the cost and time needed for real training, and are easier to access.

Based on the information I learnt about simulators in general, in addition to the information I read about this performance simulator on an article , I expected a realistic and interactive environment to simulate an audition and a recital. Realistically, I expected a simulation with a whole performance etiquette, including a warm up in a green room, a back stage area where I would wait, a walking to stage, and bowing, greeting, etc. I also expected a realistic stage setting: There would be curtains, stage doors, and grand piano with performer`s right hand side facing the audiences/panel. There would also be different lighting on backstage and on stage: A darker backstage and spotlights on stage. Interactively, I was expecting that the panel and audiences would have different reactions at different stages of the performance. For example, there would be a greeting by the audition panel or clapping by the audience when I went on stage. There might even be interruptions by the panel in audition simulation as this happens quite often in real life. There would also be a conclusion by the panel or more applause from the audience after the performance. I was also expecting distraction during the performance, such as coughing, sneezing, paper noise, natural body movement, etc. These elements are inevitable in real life.

In terms of emotions, I expected to be nervous in the simulator, as I would be in real performance. A study has found that virtual reality exposure to performance situations increases anxiety as a real performance does. I generally feel the most nervous while waiting backstage and initially on stage. After playing a few notes, I would be more relaxed. In the middle of the performance, I am not nervous at all. This pattern of anxiety levels is what I was expecting in the simulator, though perhaps may not be as high as real life. (Fig. 1)

I arrived early in the day of simulation to make sure that I have enough time to warm up. However, "warm up rooms" are not part of the simulation and I ended up doing my warm up out of the simulating environment. For repertoire, I brought the Fugue from the Prelude and Fugue in B flat major BWV 866 by J. S. Bach for both simulations. The reason for me to pick this particular piece is that performing polyphonic pieces usually makes me more nervous. For me, polyphonic pieces are more difficult to memorize because of the different voicing. I do recall on several occasions in real performances in which I suddenly got lost in mind while playing polyphonic piece. That did fortunately not interrupt the music, but the "lost" feeling happening in mind gave me panic attack. I want to see how nervous I would be playing a challenging piece in a simulated environment.

Having played twice in the simulator, I would say that it is quite effective to be as a performance platform in relation to live performance. Both simulating environments triggered my physical and mental response as if I was in a real performance playing a challenging piece. The simulator created a realistic environment and atmosphere both offstage and on the stage, enabling me to really participate in my "audition" and "recital". During my first simulation playing to a virtual audition panel on a screen, I realized that my heart rate was already raising waiting outside the "room". Although the quantification and interpretation of heart rate variability is complex and might not be completely related to anxiety, I had a feeling that my rise of heart rate is because of the reality of the on coming "audition". However, I did realize something that is less convincing. For example, the screen showing the panel and audience was placed a little high compared to real life where they should be sitting in the same level of mine or even lower if I`m on a stage. From a pianist`s point of view, the screen was also being placed a little bit to the front of the piano whereas they placed on my right hand side.

The difference I noticed between playing to a simulated audition panel, and to a simulated concert audience is the level of realism, as I felt that the audition simulation was more realistic. During the first time I stepped into the simulator, I saw three panel members on the screen. They said hello to me and asked me to begin whenever I was ready. My immediate impression was "Is that a Skype audition?" Although there was just a glance of this thought, as I knew that I was actually playing to a virtual panel, I was still amazed by the realism. Overall, the audition simulation was very realistic except at the end where the panel members suddenly "jumped" from listening to saying thank you. In comparison, the recital simulation was less realistic because I didn`t have many interactions with the audience, except bowing before and after the performance, although the stage doors and lighting did help to raise the realism. If I have chance to play in the simulator again, I would love to have more different reactions from the audience. Experiments show that different responses from the virtual audience trigger different levels of anxiety. A performer will have to face different types of audiences in their career, and may not always receive positive responses. Playing in front of negative audiences and panels will be good practice.

What I have learnt from the simulation is the importance of exposure to performance situations. I already felt more relaxed playing again in the second week, even though I had only played for 2 minutes in the first week. I think this emphasized the purpose of this simulator: to give students chances to practice and get used to performance. As music students we spend a lot of time practicing our instrument, but sometimes we forget to practice performance, which is very different. Too much performance anxiety leads to decline of performance standard (Fig. 2). However, everyone would experience the effect of performance anxiety, even an internationally renowned pianist who performs regularly in many of the world`s leading concert halls. The only way to improve performance anxiety effectively is by putting ourselves into performance situation. Studies have already found that long sessions of virtual exposure would decrease performance anxiety. Through more exposure to performance situation, we will get used to the stage, the lighting, the distraction, the audience, etc. As musicians we should all perform more in concerts to increase exposure. In my opinion, performance classes, faculty classes, masterclasses are also very effective ways to practice performance and we should participate in it positively. Now with the setting up of the performance simulator, exposure to performance situation becomes even more accessible and economical. It could enhance and become part of the mental skills training exercises (simulating performance) for musicians, which improve our performance skills and reduce the stress coming from performance situations.

In conclusion, I had a good experience in the performance simulator. There are of course some areas for improvement since it was still in the first version, but it mostly provided what I had expected, and made me think a lot more about myself in a performance situation. I discovered things I had never noticed before, understood my performance strengths and weaknesses, in which I learnt a lot. I think the performance simulator is potentially a useful tool for musicians and we should all participate in it to gain the experience. At the same time, the quality of the simulator would be even more accomplished through our feedbacks, which is ultimately a mutual benefit.

Bibliography

Books 1) J. Bissonette, F. Dube, M. D. Provencher, M. T. Moreno Sala, Proceedings of the International Symphosium on Performance Science 2011 (Utrecht, 2011) 2) Williamon, Musical Excellence: Strategies and techniques to enhance performance (Oxford, 2004)

Articles 1) D. P. Pertaub, M. Slater, C. Barker, `An experiment on public speaking anxiety in response to three different types of virtual audience`, Presence Teleop. Virt. Environ. 11, 68-78 2) A. Williamon, L. Aufegger, D. Wasley, D. Looney, D. P. Mandic, `Complexity of physiological reponses decreases in high stress musical performance`, J. R. Soc. Interface, 10 (2004) 3) E. K. Orman, `Effect of virtual reality graded exposure on anxiety level of performing musicians: a case study`, J Music Ther, 41(2004), 70-78 4) R. T. Hays, J. W. Jacbos, C. Prince, E. Salas, `Flight Simulator Training Effectiveness: A Meta-Analysis`, Military Psychology, 4(1992), 63-74 5) G. G. Berntson, J. T. Cacioppo, `Heart rate variability: origins, methods, and interpretive caveats`, Psychophysiology 34, 623-648 6) T. P. Grantcharov, V. B. Kristiansen, J. Bendix, L. Bardram, J. Rosenberg, P. Funch-Jensen, `Randomized clinical trial of virtual reality simulation for laparoscopic skills training`, British Journal of Surgery, 91(2004), 146-150 7) A. Williamon, L. Aufegger, H. Eiholzer, `Simulating and stimulating performance: introducing distributed simulation to enhance musical learning and performance`, Frontiers in Psychology, 25 (2014)