Get Ready For Your Next Performance!
Performances can be both eye-opening and nerve-wracking experiences. There’s nothing quite like standing on a bright, hot stage ready to share the months of practice and progress with an audience of peers, family, and strangers. It’s easy to focus on the uncertainty: “Will I mess up?” “Will I remember my song?” “Will my hands slip, will my voice crack, will my strings snap?” There’s a lot that feels like it’s up to chance. But, there is plenty that you can control! Focusing on the aspects within your power will ground you in the moment, and increase your chances of a successful performance.
1) Music: make sure you have your music! It seems obvious, but I’ve seen many performances thwarted by lost copies and ripped books. Make sure you have your music prepared the night before your performance. Do you have all your pages? Can you read all your pages? If you’re working out of a book, do you know where it is? Do you have your pages marked for quick and easy access? Small sticky tabs are your friend!
2) Physical Preparedness: You can practice every day for a year, but don’t forget you’re still flesh and blood. Make sure you eat!! Low blood sugar shakes are even less enjoyable on stage. Eat a good breakfast, and if your performance is in the evening, a good lunch as well. You don’t want to be stuffed to the brim when you walk on stage, but make sure you’re satisfied and able to focus on the music. Staying hydrated is a big part of all physical preparedness as well. Drink lots of water, the lights and heat on stage can be very intense. Use the restroom just before you go on to avoid other discomfort.
3) Practice: This aspect of preparedness happens over the course of months. Consistent practice is arguably the biggest contributor to successful performance. The muscle memory you develop through consistent practice is invaluable, especially when faced with the nerves of the stage. Practice doesn’t have to mean an hour every day, though if you did do that, I’m sure your teacher would be giddy with joy. Practice doesn’t have to be all at once. If your goal is 30 minutes per day, try 15 minutes right after school and 15 minutes before bed. If your goal is just practice at all, make your practice meaningful. Take the parts of your pieces that give you the most trouble, and run through them once or twice. Trust the process, you will not perfect your song in one practice session as recital repertoire is typically challenging at the start. As the months go on, with guidance from your teacher, you will progress, the music will begin to feel easier, and the actions will become more natural. The night before your recital, don’t try to cram. Sit with your music, and visualize it. How does it sound? What does your body feel like as you move to press your strings or keys, as you sing? Close your eyes and imagine. Mental rehearsal is rehearsal if done clearly.
4) Acceptance: Whatever stage of your musical journey you are in, you will always be imperfect. Nothing we do is in the name of achieving perfection. We aim for authentic expression. At its core, that’s all music is: expression. Not every piece will speak to you, but you can speak through any piece. Accept the time you’ve spent practicing, even if you know it hasn’t been enough. Accept your limitations and imperfections, they’ll evolve but the imperfections will be with you for the rest of your life. Accept that you have further to go. Your next performance is not your end goal, it is a single stone in your path forward. You may make mistakes, you may not. Whatever the result, feel joy in the fact that you’re able to make music. It’s a blessing to be able to speak without words.
Performances are an opportunity to measure where you are against where you have been. Whether you’re preparing for a recital, a concert, or an audition, the ingredients for success remain fundamentally the same. Trust yourself, and most importantly: have fun! Music should bring you just as much joy as it brings the audience. Preparation will decrease the amount of stress you feel, leaving more room for fun and joy. Be proud of yourself, and where you are, and look forward to where you will go.
