Peak Performance for Musicians
Overcome Music Performance Anxiety with Mental Game Strategies
What Mental Skills Do Performers Need and How Do They Get Them? presented at the 53rd National NATS Conference Boston, MA July 8, 2014 (click on the 4 images at the bottom to access a PDF of the Powerpoint presentation slides in 4 parts) It was great to be in Boston and participate in the 53rd National NATS Conference. As I said in my presentation, I would love to hear from you and … [Read more...]
In the previous posts, Are You a Mentally Tough Performer? Pt. 1 and Are You a Mentally Tough Performer? Pt. 2, we have been looking at the skills, habits, and thought processes of successful performers. What makes these performers mentally "tough" enough to withstand the pressures of performing and seemingly, fly above? In Part 1, we discussed the "basic" skills or life skills of attitude, … [Read more...]
In Are You a Mentally Tough Performer? Pt. 1 we discussed how important it is for performers to be mentally tough and that mental toughness is simply having effective mental skills that allow for fearless, exciting performing. The Level I Skills include Attitude, Motivation, Goal Setting, and Commitment—basic life habits and skills that are developed early in life. Mental Skills Needed … [Read more...]
Performers don't hesitate to assess their musical skills as they continue to train and practice to be an excellent player or singer. It's just as important to periodically assess your mental skills in order to determine how prepared you are to move forward, to grow, and continue to evolve as an excellent and mentally strong performer. These mental performing skills include commitment, … [Read more...]
Mental rehearsal, or vividly visualizing yourself practicing or performing difficult passages, preparing yourself to be confident, or reviewing a memorized section or a past performance are all effective supplements to the physical practice you or your students engage in prior to performance. Some may also call this type of practice imagery. Whatever you call it, vividly seeing, hearing, and … [Read more...]
When preparing for an upcoming performance performers work diligently by practicing and rehearsing. As we've talked about before, musicians spend the majority of their time in the practice room or in rehearsal rather than on the stage and can be more readily characterized as practicers rather than performers. You would think that would make us experts at practicing. However, many musicians … [Read more...]