Performance Anxiety
Symptoms
Self destructive……Whatever messes you up.
Dry mouth
Constricted throat
Lip wobble
Shaking fingers
Sweaty hands
Internal commentary
Fixed, blinkered vision, darting vision, Tunnel Vision
Cramped hands, arms, legs
Tight abdominals
Tight jaw
Shallow breath
Faintness
Confused thinking (brain fog)
Wishing to be somewhere else
Being mentally somewhere else
What are the fears involved?
Fear of failure
Fear of being out of tune
Fear of memory lapse
Fear of high notes/ low notes
Fear of not being loud enough/ not soft enough
Fear of not being fast enough
Fear of not being good enough / as good as others
Fear of letting the other performers down
Fear of letting your teacher down.
Fear of losing the love or respect of those who hear us
Fear of being frightened
Possibly useful ideas
Learn the pieces before the concert and accept that you have learnt them!
Use The Ready List
Be present
Let yourself balance
Don’t hold yourself in any position, allow your body to move freely
Don’t try hard, try easy
Communicate with other players and or the audience
Notice your breathing panoramic vision and your primary control
Do not try to be or wish to be somewhere else
Do not be in the past
Do not be in the future
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Do not use up your vital energy ‘trying to perform or project’
Take energy from the audience, recycle it in the performance
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Talk to the audience before you play, if possible
Do not try to ignore the audience
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Don’t practice the programme before the concert (you already know it)
Do prepare yourself by warming up in a familiar way
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Semi-supine
Accept anything that happens, it’s ok
Don’t listen to your internal dialogue and don’t try to make it go away
Acknowledge the existence of the you that could listen to the internal dialogue
Take energy from the audience and send it back to them
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Don’t try to focus on the performance before it starts, be in the present
Don’t try to play well, endeavour to enjoy whatever is happening
Enjoy yourself, it is another chance to do what you really want to do
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
You don’t have to be the best to be worth listening to
If you are genuine you will touch most people
Performing is interactive, so be interactive, you are not on your own
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Balance makes most things easier
Don’t try to play in tune, let the notes make sense
Don’t try to play ‘loud enough to be heard’
Allow the resonance to fill the room
Allow the music to speak to the audience
Anything might, or might not, happen
Allow yourself to be aware of how far your field of attention extends
Notice your breathing, panoramic vision and your primary control
Play without unjustified self-doubt
Take all regret out! You always play as well as you can in every concert!
Next time will be different if you make different decisions.