Personality in making music : How does your personality affect your practicing process and performing?

Summary Personality psychology is one of the most popular ranges of psychology today. There’re many different theories about how personality influences your thinking and behavior. The general thought among psychologists today is that personality is something that arises from within and stays somewhat similar throughout life – although some dimensions of personality can also change and develop. Genetics, environment and personal experiences each have an influence on your personality and its development. For musicians, personality affects for example what kind of colleague you are and how you like to work. It even has an impact on your stage charisma. Even so, perhaps one of the biggest things that tells about a musician’s personality is the reason why they’ve chosen music as a career. This reflection is about the different aspects of your personality and what kind of role they play in your practicing process, and in what way is your performance influenced by your personality, based on psychological research and my experiences with Sibelius Violin Concerto. Since personality also has a big impact on many other aspects in life, it’s definitely one aspect that shapes your performances and your career. Learning about your personality can help you to better understand yourself and your preferred working habits, and you can even learn to use this information for improving yourself as a colleague and a musician. Keywords: Personality, Psychology, Jean Sibelius, Violin Concerto Op. 4