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Introduction and Tips for Everyone Special Tips for Youngsters Special Tips for Advanced Students >> Tips and Stories from Bloomingdale Faculty Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid |
Conquering
Stage Fright TEACHERS GET NERVOUS TOO  Below are some tips and stories from Bloomingdale faculty members about
how they deal with their nerves.
"The most important thing for me is to get to a gig early so I can sit with the guitar for a good amount of time until my hands feel really warm and loose. I like to forget about any parking issues, stress from driving or lugging an amp around the subway, or whatever stress I might have by getting to the gig long before the downbeat. To be comfortable for a performance, I have to feel very well prepared. I want to enjoy the performance and that means being good about preparing as much in advance as possible. One particular time I remember being nervous was when I went on an audition for something I wanted very badly to get. I played a head game with myself and ended up not playing anywhere near my abilities. When nerves get bad, I recommend envisioning yourself leaving your body, like you are at the other end of the room listening. That pulls you back to the music—listening to what you're doing, letting the music breathe, etc.—and it can help solve some of the problems common to nervous playing." —Mark Mollica, guitar  "There
was one time I didn't eat anything the day of the performance and wasn't
properly rested. I knew the music like I know my own name but my concentration
crashed and it felt like I was in the twilight zone."—Monica Verona, piano |
 "I'm not a particularly nervous
performer and, generally, I don't go on stage nervous before I play, but
as soon as I make my first mistake...the nerves kick in. I have gotten
better about leaving those mistakes behind and staying in the moment, but
it's something I'm still working on. For me, making sure I am really prepared
for every concert is key and a huge motivator for me. I remember the performance
where I really learned that the results I would get in a concert were directly
connected to the work I put into practicing. I was in college and working
on a program that included a sonata by Prokofiev. I had planned a small
intimate concert in the apartment of my piano teacher at the time. Often
concerts in small spaces are the most difficult, at least for me, because
you are hyper aware of the audience. I don't even remember now if I was
playing from memory or not, but I know that I had to stop playing in the
middle of the piece and couldn't recover. I felt terrible and was of course
embarrassed. I promised myself I would never let myself be that unprepared
for a concert again. And ever since then, I try to do everything I can
to make sure I'm really prepared for a concert." —Bathsheba Marcus Conley, piano  "Focusing
on staying in touch with the music, listening to the music, and keeping my concentration
are things I work towards in performances to help control my nerves." —Robin Binderman, piano  "The
more prepared I am for a concert, the less nervous I feel and the more fun I
have on stage."—Margalit Cantor, cello |
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