The Perfect Performance
We are not perfect beings, and there is no such thing as a perfect performance. As musicians, we judge other performances, and we are judged by others. What is far worse than the judgment of others is the judgment we place on ourselves. Throughout my music education, I’ve been told that I have to be perfect; nothing less is acceptable. This belief has caused me and many other musicians to mentally berate ourselves over insignificant mistakes.
I can share from personal experience that when you dwell on mistakes, you will start to feel insecure about your playing or singing and lose all joy in music. It’s okay to make mistakes; what’s more important is how quickly you recover. Our favorite recordings contribute to the illusion of perfection as they have been heavily edited, much like a big-budget movie.
However, this isn’t an excuse for being a sloppy musician. You must put in the work and spend hours practicing, as well as listening. Every teacher here has made countless mistakes during performances, and I myself have fallen flat on my face in front of an audience or two. Striving for perfection is important, but accepting that you are less than perfect is equally vital. All you can do is learn from it and keep practicing.