Peak Performance for Musicians
Overcome Music Performance Anxiety with Mental Game Strategies
In the competitive world of music, performers often feel the need to impress friends, family, other performers, colleagues, judges, and audiences. If you want to be a successful performer, trying hard and caring about pleasing others seems like a good idea. However, performers who care too much about what others think often struggle with a need to be accepted, respected, or liked by others. … [Read more...]
Many of the singers I work with perform frequently in opera and musical theater. In these performances, their confidence soars and they perform with ease. These singers perform a little less frequently in recital or in concert. In these performances, some singers experience performance anxiety and experience varying confidence levels. In auditions and competitions, however, performers … [Read more...]
Confidence—strong belief in our abilities—is something that performing musicians either have or crave. Confidence is a key mental skill in the performer’s arsenal. Performers need confidence to combat music performance anxiety and achieve peak performances. Confidence can come from a variety of sources including past practices or rehearsals and immediate past performances, but … [Read more...]
Chances are, since you are on this website and you are reading this article, you have struggled with perfectionism or perfectionist tendencies. As you may already know, perfectionism can ruin self-confidence, cause you to get frustrated easily, and is a major source of music performance anxiety. We usually focus on the aspects of perfectionism that hold performers back, but it is important for … [Read more...]
Do you have a hard time recovering after making a mistake in a performance or audition? Do mistakes distract you and cause you to beat yourself up and have trouble “staying in” the performance? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are not alone! Here is what a professional cellist said about a recent performance: “After I make a mistake or I miss a shift, I get flustered … [Read more...]
It is common for musicians who experience performance anxiety to think that they have to just live with the nerves, the anxiety, and the feelings of fear. Some musicians may view other performers as having been born without the performance anxiety gene. Well, there is no gene that causes or sets the stage for a musician's fear and anxiety. Most performance anxiety in music is a result of very … [Read more...]
Music performance self-confidence is an important mental skill that musicians must possess to be successful in music and life! On the flip side, self-doubt is the number one mental barrier that blocks musicians from confident, enjoyable performances. A common challenge that musicians face is the ability to perform as well as they do in practice. There is a big difference between practice … [Read more...]
Many musicians feel pressure before or during performances. What is pressure? Pressure is what you feel when you think you have to play or sing well, or that you should win, or when you worry about the consequences of losing or performing poorly. You can feel increased pressure during critical moments in a performance (e.g. a difficult passage). You can also feel pressure from teachers, … [Read more...]
When was the last time you updated your performance resume? Likely you are in the habit of keeping your resume up to date with your most important and impressive performances listed in chronological order. Your resume is a one-page reflection of your experience and success. When was the last time you updated your music confidence resume? I daresay you probably don’t have a music … [Read more...]
Prior to performance do you think about the mistakes you made in your last performance or do you worry about the mistakes you might make today? Do you want to perform well so badly that you practice right up to performance day and sometimes continue to “fix” and self-coach even during the performance? After the performance, is it difficult to let go of mistakes because you keep beating … [Read more...]