NO! I Cant Perform at the Recital!
Performance Anxiety: What To Do About It
Corrin Evans, CSM Violin Faculty
We all get nervous before a performance, but there are things we can do and steps we can take to combat these qualms and give a good performance anyway. The first thing we can do is use visualization, the second is to remember to breathe, and the third thing is to practice every day.
How do we visualize? Well, you can sit in a chair and close your eyes. Imagine yourself at the concert, instrument in hand, walking on stage. Next, imagine playing your piece from beginning to end. If you come across any mistakes while you are visualizing, you can fix them in your mind, and keep going over your piece until you can imagine it all the way through onstage with no mistakes. Then bow, look at the audience, smile and walk offstage, all in your mind's eye.
Remembering to breathe is crucial. When we don't breathe our hands get tight and everything we do feels forced and uncomfortable. When you find yourself tight and short of breath it is already too late because it is next to impossible to get back to breathing normally 10 minutes before you go onstage. Try taking 5 deep breaths at the beginning or end of your daily practice. Then, two to three hours before the concert, start paying attention to your breathing. Make sure it stays regular, even if you have to really focus on it to keep it that way.
The third thing to do is to practice every day. And specifically practice towards memorization. Practice so that your muscles know what they are doing. Stage fright is a problem of the mind, not the body. The body has adrenalin, the mind does not. I have performed in plenty of recitals where my brain totally freaked out and went away, but my fingers knew where they were supposed to go, and so in those moments, I could keep playing until my brain came back. That's why we say knowledge alone is not enough, but paired with 10,000 repetitions, you will develop great ability. Practice until you can't get it wrong!
Nerves and anxiety can seem tricky to deal with, but if you try out these suggestions you may find yourself having a wonderful experience onstage!
"Talent is not inborn, it must be developed"
