How To Battle Performance Anxiety
The most asked question I have been asked over my career has been “how to deal with performance anxiety.” I have had literally thousands of students ask me that question.
But when I told tell that I also had to battle with performance anxiety, they are stunned. I get compliments all the time about how I am the rock and never show fear or anxiety when I am performing, particularly as a soloist. But I too, like most young flutists was absolutely terrified to perform in front of anyone. I had to learn how to combat performance anxiety like everyone else. Over time I devised a system that not only worked for me but for all of my students.
When I judge solo & ensemble festivals, I always get a few flutists that get so nervous when they get into the judge’s room to perform that they usually fall apart and burst out crying and cannot finish the solo.
After several minutes of trying to calm the soloist down I can usually get them to finish their performance. Afterwards if I see them in the hallway, they usually come up to me and thank me for calming them down and letting them finish the solo. At this point I may ask them how long they have been working on the solo and any other preparations they may have done.
After fifty plus years of judging solo festivals, Governors Honor, All-State, and college scholarship tryouts, I have some pretty convincing evidence on what can practically guarantee success/failure when performing.
Here is what will guarantee failure in the performance:
- Selected the solo just a few days or weeks away from the performance date.
- Select a solo that is too difficult for the young flutist.
- Run through the solo a few times each week.
- Never performing it in front of anyone until the performance event.
- Work with the pianist only once or twice.
Here is what will guarantee success in the performance:
- Select the soloist 4-6 months in advance of the performance date.
- Practice steps:
- Practice the song measure by measure as slow as needed to get all the notes, intervals, rhythms, to work smoothly.
- Then you turn the metronome on and practice to it as slow as needed to get EVERY SINGLE part of the solo correctly.
- Over the days and weeks, you slowly turn the speed of the metronome up as the fingers start to work out the problem areas.
- You do this EVERY SINGLE Day for thirty minutes or longer (1-2 hours if you are an advanced flutist)!
- About 1-2 months before the performance date, you should be practicing at the performance tempo and working out the musical portions of the music.
- Find a way to practice with your pianist as many times as possible! Be a pain about it! Once or twice is not enough!
- Perform your solo Infront of everybody! Get your mom, dad, brother/sister, grandmother, whoever you can catch to sit down for five minutes to listen to you. By the time you finally perform it for the competition date you should have performed it in front of someone fifty times or more!
This is the advice I have told my own students over the years with great success! When I lived in Georgia, I had a private flute studio of over sixty flutists and most of the time they all would receive a “superior “rating at solo & ensemble! There were times when the entire flute section at the various Honor Bands/All-State were my flute students. The reason they got there was because they worked for it! They prepared themselves!
Bottom Line:
- Most students do not spend enough time actually working on the solo. Running through the solo a few times a week will not cut it!
- To be a performer you must actually perform! Volunteer to perform at your church, school functions, anywhere that will give you the opportunity to perform in front of an audience!
Just roll up your sleeves, get to work and you too will be able to perform successfully!