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Spe­cialic­a­tion in Prac­tic­al Per­form­ance Psy­cho­logy

  • Year of study: One semester, autumn
  • Final assessment: Reflection paper
  • Language of tuition: Norwegian/English
  • Prerequisite: PROF10/PRAPRE20 or equivalent

Course description

This course is aimed at students who wish to work in depth with performance, mental health, and professional identity as a musician. It builds on the experiences and tools developed in Musician's Health, Motivation and Practice (PROF10) and Stage Awareness and Artistic Expression (PROF11), and explores in greater depth the psychological processes underlying practice, performance, and interaction with others.

Students work with their own patterns related to inner dialogue, motivation, stress, performance pressure, and relational challenges, and gain insight into how these factors influence both artistic development and mental health over time.

The course has a clearly reflective and process-oriented approach, combining psychological understanding with practical exercises. The aim is to strengthen students’ ability for self-regulation, conscious decision-making, and sustainable professional practice in a musical career.

Emneansvarlig: Conducting, Voice and Church Music Department

Learning objectives

Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to:

  • reflect on what influences their performance and mental wellbeing as a musician
  • reflect on how they contribute to a positive working environment
  • apply principles from the course to their own process of performance preparation

Overview

The course explores in greater depth themes from earlier courses (PROF10/11, PREPRA20), such as practice, motivation, performance preparation, mental health, and identity.

In addition, topics such as group dynamics, teamwork, and values and norms in the music industry are addressed.
The course will to a large extent be based on each student’s individual challenges, strengths, motivation, process, and goals

Structure

Teaching is conducted in groups over five sessions of 3 hours each. Students are also offered up to two hours of individual tutoring.

Students are expected to work on course material and exercises outside of scheduled teaching hours.

Course requirements

Active participation is mandatory. Normally, absence exceeding 20% (one teaching session) will result in the student failing the course.

Final assessment

All course requirements must be approved in order for the student to receive a final assessment.

Students are assessed based on the learning outcomes of the course. The final assessment is graded as pass/fail and is determined by the course instructor based on a reflection paper.

Reflection paper

The students must reflect upon factors influencing performance and mental health, both individually and in groups. The reflection should be connected to the student’s own process and work in the course, as well as their artistic practice. Length: approximately 1,000 words

Deadline: The reflection paper must be submitted on NMH's digital learning platform no later than December 1.

New assessment

In case of new assessment, the entire course must generally be completed again.

Syllabus

The syllabus overview will be published on the learning platform Canvas.
Approximately 200 pages

Published: Mar 23, 2026 — Last updated: Mar 25, 2026