Overcoming Stage Fright :
Tips For Musicians
How do you survive the ordeal of a performance? Overcoming stage fright, is that even possible? To manage rather than overcoming the fear of performing is a skill that can be learned as any other skill. But it needs to be practiced! Here are some tips on how to manage stage fright for musicians.
How to play the piano despite stage fright:
To manage rather than overcoming stage fright is a skill to be learned as any other skills. You can not take away stage fright since it is an instinctive response to a stressful situation, but you can learn how to use it and to manage it to your advantage. The adrenaline build up you feel when getting nervous makes your heart beat faster and can make you feel out of control. But it can also make your senses more alert and as a consequence you may play much more powerful, passionate and interesting. Instead of fighting this natural response, learn how your body reacts under stress and how to use it to make your performance even better. You need to start way in advance to prepare yourself and to practice managing rather than overcoming performance anxiety. Select pieces that are at or below your current level. If the pieces are too hard you will naturally get nervous because there are too many possibilities for something to go wrong. Remember as your pulse goes faster, your sense of tempo changes as well, so something you played as you practiced the day before you will probably play faster as you perform even though it might feel as the same tempo. Knowing that, you could choose to play at a slightly slower tempo when performing under stress. This will probably turn out to be the same tempo you played when you were relaxed!
How to manage rather than overcoming stage fright :
Start already now preparing for your next performance. Here are some tips:- Make sure your pieces are ready a least a week (or a month on a higher level) in advance. Actually, it is great if you can make yourself believe the date for the performance is a week earlier. This includes memorization.
- Practice performing your repertoire for friends and family- every chance you've got. If you feel embarrassed- tell them that you need to use them for this practice, and that you might make lots of mistakes. They could even try to disturb you as you play- so that you can practice to keep your focus despite noises. (This can actually be a lot of fun!)
- Record yourself and/ or video film yourself again and again until perfect.
- Visualize yourself successfully performing your pieces every night before you sleep. Try to play through each piece in your mind and make sure it “sounds” fantastic.
- The day before the performance make sure to play through each of your pieces the very last time EXTREMELY slowly. Play through each piece slow motion, but with all details correctly, prior to that you should practice at performance speed- but the last time: super- slow. Then: Don't touch!
- Make sure to eat well (spaghetti is good!) and try to get a good nights’ sleep by getting to to bed early. Visualize how great it feels to perform before you snooze away… Or listen to a great relaxation tape.
- The same day as the performance: Practice all you want, but NOT your performance pieces! Just play them slowly and carefully on parts that are difficult- Slowly, maybe only once or twice. DO NOT change anything!
- An hour or so before the performance: Take a brisk walk to get rid of some extra adrenaline, and get some oxygen. Do some stretching and bending- but don't overdo it.
- A half hour before the performance eat a couple of bananas!! Yes you heard right! Bananas are a natural beta blocker.
- Right before you play, remind yourself you are giving the audience this gift of yours- your pieces. Take away the focus on you, and imagine you are presenting them with these lovely gifts. Like drawings you made to your teacher when you were a child. They might not have been perfect, but they were the best you could do. Same now. This is the best you can do. This time…
- Afterward- Give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work, and think about what you could do even better for the next time!
Telling yourself not to have stage fright is not going to help. Overcoming stage fright means to learn how your body reacts under stress, as well as to plan and prepare a lot of time in advance and practice, practice. Who knows- maybe you will even realize that you enjoy the extra rush of adrenaline (at least it is safer than bungy-jumping)!
Eliminate stage fright and anxiety playing in front of others!
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