You’ve have probably heard the adage that positive thinking is the key to success? Never is this truer than in the area of music performance. Regardless of the time you have spent in practice, and any performer knows that proper practice is important, dwelling on the fact that you failed to do something will only impede your confidence. During the moments before performance, when you are most likely to question your preparation, remind yourself that you put a lot of effort into preparing for this piece, and that regardless of the outcome, you are going to do your best in playing it. There is always room for practicing more later, if need be.
Along those same lines, a difficult entrance that you once failed to execute well in performance can become a self-created curse that will haunt you throughout the course of your playing. Your heart rate will speed up when you near that passage while playing, your head will cloud with doubt instead of focusing on the music, and biologically, you’ll make it harder on yourself to execute it correctly when you play it again. The best way to stop this vicious cycle from ever beginning is to accept a mistake as a one-time blunder, even if it happens more than once. Focus on that particular passage in your practice sessions, and if you don’t put a lot of negative attention on it, you’ll eventually perform it spot-on and take the anxiety away from that particular moment for ever.
It is difficult to remember sometimes—that music is art and its core value is enjoyment of the emotions it arouses. Art is rarely exactly faultless, if mistakes do happen nobody gets hurt, only your ego! A piece can be executed perfectly in a technical sense, but lack emotion, and therefore be completely unappealing to the audience. While there is something to be said for a musician who accomplishes a brilliant performance, musicians should always keep in mind that the audience is there to be moved by your music. There might be one or two people in the audience seeking to point out your mistakes, but for the most part, those listening will pay more attention to what you do right than what you do wrong. If you keep that in mind, your music performance anxiety will lessen, and you’ll have much more fun on stage!
Compiled and amended by Simon who is also a NMC Registered Nurse in Mental Health. See Gerard Egan "The Skilled Helper" - Egan explored areas of interpersonal interactions based on the premise that people act in accordance with their perception of a given situation.