Fight the Fright
UK Piano Lessons
Charlotte Tomlinson shares her expertise in helping students to have a positive performance experience
Throughout the last few years, We have given many foretells teenagers at schools about how to deal with stage fright when giving recitals that will be assessed in their final year exams. Once i ask how many of them feel nervous when they are about to perform, hands go up slowly and tentatively until every hand has gone up, including my own, personal. They look around, amazed. No one else concept that anybody else undergoes the identical experience as them as well as the relief inside the room is palpable.
UK Piano Lessons
This discovery is essential for almost any musician, but specially those that are studying. Being overly nervous when performing can be an isolating feeling. Musical children can appear that nobody else suffers such as this, plus they could even feel ashamed, worried that telling their friends will expose them as not quite sufficient.
Performance nerves happen due to an overdose of adrenalin, created by our bodies as a result of perceived threat. Your body interprets walking on to a stage to give a concert because the equal of coming across a sabre toothed tiger in the jungle. A small dose of adrenalin is definitely an advantage when you�re performing. It heightens everything, keeps you alert, prepared to perform at the best. But an excessive amount of may have a crippling effect. The perceived threat will come from so many different directions: an excessive amount of pressure; fear of looking a fool; thinking everyone will criticise you; not feeling adequate; not preparing adequately. It could be just a perceived threat, but it's very real and can cause enormous distress.
Understand the music very well
It appears obvious, one of the biggest aspects of keeping stage fright away is always to understand what you are performing, and also to understand it very well. Numerous pupils don�t fully grasp the importance of this. They kid themselves that they can fluked it, but most of the time they can�t which is a good idea to help them realise they can�t. They can be also unaware that even the individuals who provide the impression which they just get up there and do it have invariably done a lot more preparation laptop or computer might appear.
It is the quality of practice that makes the difference here. It�s very simple for a pupil to think they�re practising when what they are in reality doing is mindlessly playing the identical bits again and again. They should learn focused and efficient practice. After they do, the huge benefits are twofold. Focused practice builds the music activity into the system so well that if nerves escape control within the performance, a kind of autopilot can start working while the pupil recovers themselves and finds their feet again. Additionally, it gives them enormous confidence and reassurance which they be aware of music well, understanding that in itself helps with stage fright.
One of the most powerful methods for dispelling nerves is always to help your pupils to alter their negative self-talk into positive self-talk and this is best nurtured if they are practising. Young musicians with bad nerves may have a lot of negative inner talk going on inside their heads. When it is there once they practice, it's going to easily be there in performance. When they are negatively judgmental and critical of themselves, also, they are more likely to project that outwards in performance, seeing the viewers as judgmental and significant, and comparing themselves unfavorably along with other performers. This creates an unsafe performing environment on their behalf, and feeling unsafe may be disastrous for nerves.
The following is an illustration of this the sort of commentary a pupil may have running if they are practising: �I�m this kind of idiot ... I messed up ... it�s said to be an F # not just a G.� And when the negative inner talk has got really embedded, it may continue: �Oh no, not again ... that has been really bad ... I�ll definitely fail basically accomplish that ... I�m such a bad player.�
Rather than judgmental, negatively critical voice that rips everything to pieces, they should look for a voice which is non-judgmental and unemotional, a voice that simply observes what must be done: �Oops - that was a G rather than an F # . Why did I actually do that? I don�t truly know how to play that bit. Maybe I want help with my fingering.�
A caring teacher can work wonders with a pupil who's facing these inner demons. With a bit of listening and sensitive handling, a pupil might admit some of their fears, which gives you the chance to offer encouragement and support when they're most needed. Enhancing the good qualities within an overly self-critical pupil, enhancing the pupil feel good about the music activity and identifying the things they love about this can create a huge difference in helping these to forget about nerves and enjoy the performance.
having a pianist
Working with the greater obvious practical considerations before a performance may be equally as important as coping with inner demons. For example, pupils who are not pianists themselves must be shown the importance of working with a pianist well ahead of time of their concert or exam. The music activity sounds so different using the piano part and inexperienced players should get accustomed to that. Simply allocating here we are at them to practise having a pianist, not only once just a few times, will give them the opportunity to feel secure and comfy in what they�re doing.
doing several dress-rehearsals
Giving a pupil a chance to try out the performing venue beforehand is very valuable. They are able to hear different acoustic, get used to how big the space and see where you can stand and where to look. You can even cause them to become learn what to accomplish if the piano stool or music stand is at the incorrect height and usually demonstrate to them how you can settle themselves. This all builds confidence helping a pupil know very well what they�re dealing with. The greater experience they've of a performing situation, the more they are going to feel in a position to deal with any nerves they have.
be sure you Breathe
Breathing is really basic and yet amazingly powerful when confronted with nerves. Encouraging pupils to take slow, deep breaths as they are waiting calms the central nervous system so helping oxygenate our bodies, that is essential for performing well. Encouraging these to breathe when they are actually performing is also important. It's all too an easy task to belong to the trap of breath-holding if you are nervous, trying too hard or playing something complicated. Controlled breathing permits the body to wind down, calms nerves so helping both the technical and expressive aspects of performance.
the performance itself
Some performance etiquette can help. Encouraging students to smile, stand tall and appear confident since they walk on stage or into the examining room - even though they don�t feel it inside - might help these phones enter a better place. It could work wonders having a self-conscious teenager. Pupils have to feel that they may be in control of the performance and that they can take advantage of it also should they make mistakes. If disasters happen, encourage them to take deep, slow breaths to calm themselves and to proceed as though nothing has happened. Most of all, pupils need to know that the audience or examiner just isn't there to pick these to pieces, but is on their own side. Encouraging them to make a really warm, supportive audience or examiner will help them relax and feel less judged. Should they then really embody this and practise it, they may be inside a far better position to let go of their nerves and in actual fact start experiencing the whole experience with performing music.
Keep the cool
Understand what you might be
performing, and understand it
really well
Persevere with focused and
effective practice
Change their negative self-
talk into positive self-talk
Give yourself the required time
along with your accompanist
Get used to the performance
space in advance
Be sure you breathe!
Know your stagecraft and
own your speed and agility