How To Prepare for an Anxiety-Free Performance
You’ve been there. (We’ve all been there). That moment before or in performance where things start to crumble and fumble out of your hands. Not because you’re unprepared - quite the opposite really, you’ve been practicing and sounding great. It’s just that right at that moment you’re not sounding your best. And then you start to get upset that you’re not sounding as great as you like/could/‘should’ and that exacerbates the problem. Things are starting to tailspin and you wonder ‘Why do I do this to myself!?!? What’s even the point!?!?’
I am here to strategize and make a plan so your next performance opportunities (either on Zoom or on stage or at your family gathering) are filled with more joy and less anxiety. Let’s get to work.
Music = Emotions!
Please acknowledge that these kinds of experiences (sweaty palms and heart beating in your throat) only happen because you care. Caring is a good thing. You’re invested. You purchased or rented an instrument, maybe paid for lessons, spent countless solitudinous hours toiling away at learning tunes/arrangements/expression, etc. Also, the whole point of music and playing music is because it taps into the emotional abyss and makes you feel things. You can’t turn that off. So we need to figure out how to experience the emotions while not letting them hinder your playing, and instead, help your musicianship.
Here’s what I tell my students to do in order to prep for any kind of performance/audition:
Simulate the setting
Imagine being at the location. Get your stage set up to be as true to performance as possible. Using a mic? Lights? Where will you be standing? Set up chairs. My youngest students put their stuffed animals in the seats. Guess where specific audience members might sit and think of their facial expressions.
Take note of what is happening physically.
Is your heart racing? Is it beating so loudly it’s the only thing you can hear? Do you have sweaty palms? And shortness of breath? Are your hands and voice shaking? When was the last time you swallowed or inhaled a normal amount of oxygen?
Basically, we need to simulate all this tough and terrible stuff.
It will be okay. I promise.
So if you’re feeling like you’re about to have a panic attack right now, and often feel that way prior to or during a performance, you’re ready for the next step:
Set your instrument down in your ‘performance space’
Run around your house. Do laps. Up and down the stairs. Make your heart beat as fast as you can.
Rush towards your instrument and immediately go into playing position
Play through your performance.
Chances are high that you did not have a perfect performance. It was probably far from smooth. But you survived. That is the point. You are alive. You will not die if you make a mistake. You will continue to be human. Your character is not defined by your mistakes, but what you decide to do after you make them.
Now, go do all of that again.
I’m serious. Imagine your audience. Race around the house. Pick up your instrument. Perform.
Obnoxious, I know. But maybe this time you realized that even though your heart was racing, you could still focus on the bowing or picking pattern you had hoped to use in the third phrase. It might not have been your best execution ever, but at least this time you managed to get it in there.
Good job.
Set your instrument down. Get a glass of water. Go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air. Remind yourself that you love playing your instrument because of the sound you create, and the feeling you experience while creating that sound. On your way back inside, start telling yourself that you deserve to enjoy your performance. After all, performance is merely sharing your process of learning the gift of music. Don’t let anyone - including the voices in your head - take that enjoyment of this gift away from you.
Start taking a few laps again. Make sure your blood is pumping loudly enough to hear it in your head and then go for another run through.
Okay.
Phew. See? You can do this. Tomorrow you’ll need to practice all that again. And most likely the next day. Basically, do this until you can make it through your ‘performance’ at a level that you’re happy with while dealing with the physical manifestations of performance anxiety.
Because, if you do this, in the heat of the moment when you actually ARE onstage and about to play, you can remind yourself that you CAN still have a positive performance despite all the shenanigans your body is trying to pull. And you’ll be able to trust yourself because you’ve practiced and proven this very fact.
You might also consider that each performance is merely just a snapshot in time of the musician you currently are - not the one you were years ago or will be years from now. It’s okay to be exactly the musician you are right now. Becoming the best musician you can be is a lifelong process. Instead of never feeling satisfied with your efforts, be thankful that the gift of always searching for a better way to hear and turn a phrase can keep you motivated and inspired.
You can find a balance between acceptance and constructive criticism.
As a teacher, I have found how important it is to train my students how to be kind critics of themselves. Some students are incredibly negative and hear only what needs improvement. Others think everything they play is ‘great!’ when indeed it isn’t.
For the former, I ask them to first remark on what they executed ‘correctly’ before listing off all the things they ‘got wrong’. I tell them how important it is for them to hear their successes. And I point out that if I began every comment with criticism after each of their attempts, they’d feel pretty terrible.
For the latter, we discuss what constitutes ‘good’ playing. We make a list of components that would be necessary for us to deem the performance good. Listening? Counting? A left-hand technique that they are working on? A right-hand technique that’s challenging them? Dynamics? Etc. Then I ask how many of these components were included in their last run-through. This encourages critical listening and thinking while the student is playing.
I continue with this lesson by allowing students to understand there can be duplicity in their music. They can give each practice or performance their best shot, and afterward, recognize what can be improved and what to strive for at the next opportunity. Acknowledging that progress can still be made shouldn’t impede the enjoyment of the present attempt.
A Few Parting Thoughts:
Practice Your ‘Corners’
Knowing where you are in your arrangement is important. I go into more detail on how to work on this towards the end of this post.
The Order of Your Setlist Matters
If there is new repertoire that you’re debuting or something that’s particularly challenging for any reason, schedule that tune somewhere after you’ve performed tunes you’re incredibly confident in your ability to play well, you’ve relaxed and developed a rapport with your audience.
Bouncing Bows and What To Do
If you’re a bowed string player and that telltale sign of nerves plagues you, try loosening your bow a few cranks. Actually, practice everything with completely flat hair- you end up giving the weight of your arm to your instrument, which produces your best tone. Gradually tighten your stick. By the time you are at a performance opportunity, you’ll be used to playing with flatter hair. As you find your groove, you can continue to add the tension.
Alright, I hope the strategies and pep talk helps. Let me know how your next performance goes after you’ve tried these. I believe in you.
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