DISCLAIMER: While this project was undertaken as part of my BSc in psychology, I am not a professional psychologist. The project design was completed in accordance with the ethical code of conduct laid down by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

In a literature review, I found that previous psychological research into the experience of performing music had mostly been carried out with participants from professional or student musician populations. My research expanded on this work by considering the experiences of a population which may have been under-represented; that of non-professional musicians.

My qualitative data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with two participants and was analysed using a phenomenological approach; that is, considering the participants’ lived experiences of musical performance.

My analysis found that musical performance is an embodied experience, in terms of nerves, performance euphoria and instrument interaction. Further, connections are made in terms of time and space, and on physical and social bases in performing music with other musicians, with audiences and with performance spaces. Self-critique functioned on an interpersonal basis, with participants comparing their performances with an unattained ideal, even when praised by an audience. My participants did not report an acknowledged reliance on routine in performance, but preparations on embodied and social levels may have indicated an element of unacknowledged routine.

My study concluded by comparing my analysis with previous research, considered the possible impact of the researcher's own experiences and possible biases, and proposed future directions for further research into musical performance using qualitative methodologies.

The entire research project was designed and carried out with the BPS’ ethical code of conduct at its core, placing my participants’ safety, security and comfort at the heart of my work. The work I carried out for this research project was sufficient to earn a distinction from the Open University’s examiners.