Perspectives of adolescent athletes and musicians: Exploring the meaning and value attached to the performance

Abstract

Some performers become so consumed by the demands and pressures of performing that they neglect other priorities in their life. However, some individuals succeed in their performance domain and still have their lives together---they approach their performance with a sense of perspective (Brown, Cairns, & Botterill, 2001). Though the perspectives of adult performers have been outlined in the literature, it is unclear what perspective adolescent participants bring to their performance. The participants were ten young performers (seven athletes and three musicians) selected from a private school in central Canada. They were identified both as top performers and as individuals who had their lives together. In depth interviews revealed the elements that characterize the perspective these participants bring to their performance. Results indicate these adolescents strive to maintain balance in their lives, build relationships with others that assist them in their performance pursuits, approach obstacles with a positive perspective, grow through learning and improving, use a complete focus to absorb themselves in performing, and find passion in their performance pursuits and live this passion everyday.