Peak Performance for Musicians
Overcome Music Performance Anxiety with Mental Game Strategies
Q: How do I not let my nerves get to me? If I feel nervous, I don’t think I can perform well and if I don't feel nervous, then I think my performance would go as I practice, but it doesn’t. What can I do? A: This is an interesting question that came in as a result of our survey on the use of mental skills. If you haven't taken the survey and would like to, it will only take a few … [Read more...]
In a recent session I conducted with performers on what they wanted out of their performances, I found that many of the performers in the group were big believers in the Perfectionists' Creed: Perfectionists' Creed: "If I try hard enough and I am very careful and I follow all of the rules, everything will go right and everyone will love me and I will feel good all of the time." In my best Dr. … [Read more...]
In Lies of Perfectionism, Part 1 we examined several misconceptions perfectionists have and the stories perfectionists keep telling themselves. If you feel like what you accomplish is never going to be good enough, or you often procrastinate engaging in important tasks like practicing or preparing for events, or you feel you must impress others or you set standards that are impossible to … [Read more...]
Many of you may have seen the recent psychological thriller, The Black Swan. In this fictional portrayal of perfectionism, Nina, a promising ballerina, pushes herself beyond the bounds of her mental and physical health to be perfect. It is very tiring, discouraging, and often destructive to continually attempt to impress others, avoid making mistakes, and perform perfectly all the time. … [Read more...]
As youngsters we are in the habit of being creatively engaged. This is the experience of play. Dr. Stuart Brown, the author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, explains that “when we play, we are open to possibility and the sparks of new insight and thought.” This sounds very much like the definition of mindfulness. Leading expert on … [Read more...]
Musicians and performers, in general, spend hours, months, and years of their lives diligently working on technique and skills that are necessary for success in performance. We spend much more of our time practicing than we ever will performing on stage. Because of this we get really good at practicing—monitoring ourselves for correctness, at self-coaching, and at analyzing cause and … [Read more...]
Words can be wonderful things. Think of Shakespeare, Goethe, Whitman, the Beatles, Tori Amos, Lady Gaga, and YOU. Words help us express ourselves and communicate with each other. The words we use influence the way we think about ourselves and tell others a lot about us . The words we use most often and the mental pictures we create can also be damaging to us and negatively impact our … [Read more...]
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...]