Performance anxiety

Music is a wonderful profession and as musicians we have the opportunity to show our
artistry through performance. Nevertheless, one of the most usual concerns for
musicians is related to the pressure and stress related to carrying out our craft in front of
an audience, this is known as performance anxiety and it affects amateurs and
professionals alike.
In my experience as a musician, being a performer is no easy task. A month before any
performance I would feel anxious because I did not have enough time to practice
regularly, and without enough practice I felt I was underperforming. Failing is
something which we as musicians do not take lightly, and to reduce the chances of
failing we tend to push ourselves in ways which are unhealthy. We stop listening to our
bodies and we might not eat enough, sleeping enough or socialize. Finally, our
performance could be an excellent one, however, we might be able to achieve this
because as students we are expected to only perform a couple of times a year. Could you
imagine professional musicians dealing with performances in that way? Being a
musicians would be a nightmare.
Once my mother told me this – why do you want to be a musician if you feel so stressed
every time you perform? You can play brilliant in the performance, but you suffer one
month to get do a brilliant job for a day! –. Those words changed my life. It made
reflect on my wrongdoings, and why I felt extremely nervous minutes before a
performance. I thought that if I was to become a professional I had to enjoy both the
destination and the journey.
Most of us as musicians feel that playing in public is a torture and one of the reasons for
that is that we feel unprepared and we think that we will underproof. A possible solution
for this is to organize our time and change the way we think about practice, we have to
understand practice is an enjoyable and constant part of our daily lives. If we visualize
the performance as a moment to show our work, on which we have put effort,
dedication and love for our craft, we will have a different perspective on our discipline
and we will be able to trust on our work while enjoying our profession.