Whether it is an exam situation or a presentation in front of an audience, fear is, actually, excitement. If we talk about music, it is regularly associated with a public performance which is commonly referred to instrumental or vocal performance. The fear of public appearance depends on the level of formal music education of students, so it should not be unexpected that those who do not have it feel greater resistance and anxiety. If we discover the causes of fear, it is possible to gain the preconditions for further work to reduce it. With cooperation between music teachers and students, as well as an empathetic approach to work, it will be possible to use different methods of combating stage-fright during music courses. In order to determine whether they feel fear of public appearance and to what extent, we conducted a qualitative survey by interviewing 17 students of the Department of Teacher Education who attend the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences on University of Split, at different levels of formal music education, for purpose of examining and comparing their opinions and attitudes. To conduct the research, we designed a protocol of 24 questions that examined previous music education and related experiences, experience of their own musical abilities and skills. In addition, we examined experiences from music courses at the Faculty and suggestions for their improvement, as well as current experiences of public performances and expectations for the future. The results indicate that students with a previous formal music education feel less fear of public appearance than students without it. Also, in addition to certain physical reactions that occur in students without prior formal music education, there is a noticeable lack of self-confidence.