You Are Not Alone
One thing to recognize about performance anxiety is that you are not alone in needing to tame this beast, and you may find comfort in that. Indeed I found it comforting when one of my former teachers, a seasoned musician in a major orchestra, said about performance anxiety: “in me it is an ongoing battle.” That statement acknowledges that we may never completely conquer this foe, but we can hope to control it. And the tools in this article can help.
Diagnose Yourself then Get to Work
When does performance anxiety affect you most? During solos? Auditions? Large ensemble performances? In small ensembles? Some people love the spotlight and feel most free as soloists, or prefer soloing because that is when they are not judged by ensemble colleagues. Others find strength in numbers on stage and feel most at ease when performing in ensembles. Some find the screened rounds of auditions easier while others like when the screen is gone. Strive to learn your own strengths and weaknesses so you can progress efficiently.
People are often comfortable in their most familiar performance circumstance. So when other situations arise, it pays to prepare. You can prepare for your least comfortable circumstance by creating a simulation, such as a mock audition or dress rehearsal. Add to the intensity by recording (audio only or with video). Of course you will know that it is only practice, but if, for example, you create a realistic mock audition with a live committee, give yourself only one shot, and don’t allow yourself to stop during performance, then you have taken an important step towards making the real audition more comfortable. Practice like you are performing; perform like you are practicing.
Here are some other techniques that can diminish performance anxiety:
Prepare your music slowly, carefully, and repetitively over a long time. This should raise your average performance, an important goal since you might not have your peak performance when the pressure is on. Thorough preparation should also give you confidence and some reliable automation in case your heart begins to race or your hands or air stream quake.
Settle into your own way of playing before the performance or audition. A good performance can’t be crammed; it requires muscle memory, practice over time. So when the big day comes, the practice is over and it’s time to display your work. Teachers show this understanding by limiting how much they ask students to change as the performance nears. There comes a time to practice run-throughs with all of the faults that may occur, in an attempt to improve the big picture. It is important to get used to moving forward in spite of a biffed note or unexpected breath, just like you will have to in performance. This does not mean lowering your standards before a concert or audition, but having realistic expectations and being prepared for whatever may happen.
Minimize new experiences before your performance. Have those dress rehearsals or mock auditions for friends and peers. Ask for honest feedback. Do this early enough to practice and incorporate these suggestions into your playing. Practice in the room of your performance when possible. For auditions, walk or drive by the site beforehand. Simulate an adrenaline rush that you may get when nervous by doing several jumping-jacks or squat-thrusts before practicing. You can also rely on the “audition triangle,” written about by trumpeter William Lucas: your chair, music stand, and case. Those things that are the same in practice and performance can provide familiarity and comfort..
Practice Mental Toughness. On January 5th, 2005, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered ran a story about about the Julliard class “Performance Enhancement 675.” (click for story; play audio). Basically, students have to perform under intense conditions such as while being distracted by other students with noises, or flying objects. Shoulders may tense, pupils may dilate, but the students must maintain high quality through those conditions.
Remember that less work equals more sound. Instruments don’t sound their best when forced. Your most beautiful, projecting tone is produced when your body is relaxed and supple. Can you be relaxed in tense circumstances?
Adjust your attitude. Here are some words of wisdom from one of my great teachers, Curtis Olson: “Don’t care too much. Be realistic. If you don’t get this one [audition], the next one is right around the corner.” Caring too much about one moment’s work is frequently the performer’s downfall. Remember, musicians are not surgeons: if you miss a note, nobody dies. Heck, the world keeps turning even if you forget to show up! This relaxed attitude (or as a Zen Buddhist or Taoist might call it, “detached” attitude) requires the perspective, or wisdom, of time and experience. Prepare intensely but perform with a healthy life-perspective.
“Put music in the foreground and the trombone in the background” (Michael Mulcahy). In performance, concerning oneself more with music and less with technique (ironically) results in fewer mistakes because of less suffocating, internal focus. To put it another way, if your only goal is to “not make a mistake” and you miss a note, then you have lost everything. But if you try to make music and you miss a note, then you can still achieve your goal.
If you catch yourself thinking of the wrong things (unhelpful things), then bring your attention back to the music. For instance, if you are driving to an audition and you are noticing how cool it would be to win this job because of the great city, salary, or new colleagues, then immediately stop those thoughts and play the first phrase of the Tuba Mirum (or another likely first-round excerpt) in your head. If you catch yourself imagining the final applause and the party after your recital, then stop and imagine playing a phrase from that recital instead. Be in the moment now; celebrate later.
Be patient with yourself. Diminishing performance anxiety takes time (in addition to a proactive approach). I used to get nervous in all circumstances: on stage in ensembles, as a soloist, and at auditions. After years as an orchestral musician, occasional audition candidate, and occasional recitalist, it only makes sense that I am now most comfortable in the orchestra but still need to prepare heavily when those other two circumstances arise. Be kind to yourself because gaining years of stage experience requires just that…years. You can, however, increase your solo and chamber performing experience by asking to play in non-threatening situations such as elementary schools and nursing homes.
If you try a beta-blocker, remember that medication only acts as an assistant. The pill isn’t magic and it works best if you don’t abandon other means of staying on your game such as those suggested in this article. One case against beta-blockers comes from Olympic-dive-coach-turned-performance-coach Don Greene. He points out that the use of beta blockers is for trying not to be nervous. But Olympic records are not broken so frequently by people trying to stay in a box. Great achievements happen when you channel that energy into your performance.
Other Resources
Click here for more articles on performance anxiety, check out this article, read more of my writing on the subject in my book, where I discuss some of the causes of performance anxiety and offer even more strategies, and investigate any of these texts:
| Author | Title | Publisher |
| Bassham, Lenny | With Winning in Mind | Robert Hale Limited |
| Brown, Brené | various | various |
| Colgrass, Michael | My Lessons with Kumi: How I Learned to Perform With Confidence in Life and Work | Real People Press |
| Dunkel, Stuart | The Audition Process | Pendragon Press |
| Gallwey, W. Timothy | The Inner Game of Tennis | Random House |
| Green, Barry, with W. Timothy Gallwey | The Inner Game of Music | GIA Publications |
| Greene, Don | Performance Success | Promind Music |
| Herrigel, Eugen | Zen in the Art of Archery | Vintage Books |
| Jeffers, Susan | Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway | Ballantine Books |
| Judy, Stephanie | Making Music for the Joy of It | Jeremy P. Tarcher |
| Lyonn-Lieberman, Julie | You Are Your Instrument | Huiksi Music |
| Millman, Dan | The Warrior Athlete | Stillpoint Publishing |
| Nachmanovitch, Stephen | Free Play | G.P. Putnam’s Sons |
| Reubart, Dale | Anxiety and Musical Performance: On Playing the Piano From Memory | Da Capo Press |
| Ristad, Eloise | A Soprano on her Head | Real People Press |
| Rotella, Bob | Golf is a Game of Confidence | Simon and Schuster |
| Rotella, Bob | Golf is not a Game of Perfect | Simon and Schuster |
| Tzu, Lao, trans. Mitchell | Tao Te Ching | HarperPerennial |
| Valiante, Gio | Fearless Golf | Doubleday |
| Werner, Kenny | Effortless Mastery | Jamey Aebersold |
Written 11/6/2003, revised 11/4/2006, book added 4/9/2009, revised 12/24/2016, books added 1/17/2017.