Stage fright is a common challenge for new performers and musicians, including music students. Experiencing stage anxiety doesn’t mean you lack talent, experience, or preparation. Rather, it’s a natural reaction that can be managed with the right skills. Read on for practical tips drawn from real-world experiences to help music students and early-career professionals.
Origin of Stage Anxiety
Stage anxiety is a fight or flight response of your body, a complex mix of physiological actions, triggered by psychological events. The exact reactions may differ according to personality type, but common reasons for music students include fear of mistakes, judgment, and a desire to show perfection.
However, stage anxiety is not unique. Even the greatest performers have experienced and still experience some level of stage fright.
To overcome the anxiety, most performers have small rituals that allow them to unwind. For example, they play casino games, as this provides a brief change of mood.
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This recognition of its shared identity is the first step toward overcoming its deathly grip on your performance, and possibly even turning it into fuel for your passion.
Becoming Confident: Tips from Real-World Performances
Before we get to the list, for music students, the best strategy is to have an expert to compare your performances with. Use their profile to determine how you would prefer to be after applying some of the tips below. Then personalize them and review over time how well you can do the tips on this checklist:
- Preparation beyond practice
- Controlled breathing exercises
- Reframing the audience
- Learning from live performance experience
- Managing mistakes in the moment
- Developing a routine
Preparation Beyond Practice
The belief that practice makes perfect never fails.
But we all practice, so what do real-world performers do differently? They believe solely in performance-level practice, which means you rehearse under similar conditions as the show.
Most important of all is completing your piece, even in the face of error, since stopping is not an option during a show. Another is recording and reviewing these sessions, plus performing for friends and family.
Controlled Breathing Exercises
Many professionals credit a consistent breathing pattern as a way they manage anxiety. Exercises such as deep, slow breathing before/during shows have been shown to calm the nerves superbly. Coupling this with physical relaxation exercises like yoga stops many jitters.
Reframing the Audience
If you have ever been in front of an audience, you would know it feels like a thousand eyes (or more) watching your every move, waiting for a slip-up. This is where real-world professionals differ from newbies: they know most listeners are there to enjoy the music, not to judge every note. This mindset shift helps them stay in charge throughout their performance.
Learning from Live Performance Experience
You must become familiar with performing and making mistakes. Gradual exposure to these situations is how you build confidence. However, you must take up the right challenge, start small and progress smoothly so your confidence does not shatter early. Learning to perform early with a small audience, even if you have not reached a certain professional level, will help you to feel more confident at a bigger stage.
Managing Mistakes in the Moment
Draw the audience away from your mistakes with confidence. The best recovery is to keep going, so anticipate common errors in practice and create a plan of dealing with them in the moment of performance.
Developing a Routine
All top performers have a checklist to tick off before they perform. This is a way to establish a sense of stability and to signal to your body and mind that it’s time to act. Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
Final Thoughts: Embrace Anxiety as Energy
You may find it impossible to completely get rid of stage anxiety, as many experienced performers well know. The trick is to reimagine your fear as excitement and to embrace the unknown until it no longer harms your performance.