What is "performance anxiety?"
As musicians and teachers, I would bet a LOT of money that there is not one single reader of this post who has never dealt with “performance anxiety” or “nerves” or “stage fright” (choose your favorite term). We have all dealt with it ourselves - as students, amateurs, or professionals - or as teachers working with students.
But before we can really learn to deal with it, either for our own good or for that of our students, we must first understand what it is. We also need to be able to understand it well enough to explain it to our students and their parents, so that we all can recognize that the physical and mental reactions to the pressure of performance are normal and should be expected.
Quick disclaimer: I am not a psychologist. I am simply a musician and teacher with years of interest in this subject. Please click on any links you see here to learn specifics from reputable sources on the subject.
Stress response
When a human perceives a threat to his safety, his brain triggers a stress response, sometimes called a fight-or-flight response. This is in and of itself a good and necessary thing, and an instinct that we share with other animals. If we are in a truly dangerous situation, such as being chased by a predator, it is important that our bodies release the hormones, including adrenaline, that give us a burst of strength and mental concentration.
An everyday example of stress response
Consider the last time you were driving and a car dangerously pulled out right in front of you. This happened to me recently and I definitely felt the adrenaline rush! If you’re anything like me, your heart started racing, your eyes seemed to have extra focus, you gripped the wheel tightly with both hands, and you made an instantaneous decision on where to move your car to avoid a crash.
Again, the hormonal response for me in that moment was a positive thing, as my safety was indeed threatened, and it’s quite possible that the extra focus I received from the adrenaline rush allowed me to avoid a collision. However, it was also important for me, in the minutes following that experience, to remind myself that I was now safe, and that there was no current threat. I remember taking some deep breaths and saying a prayer. After a few minutes, I felt my body return to its normal state.
Performance “Anxiety”
When we perform, the pressure we feel activates the same hormonal response. While there are some common physical or mental reactions, every individual’s exact response (or combination of responses) is unique. What’s important to recognize is that these physical and mental reactions are normal.
“What you feel under stress may be unwelcome, but it’s normal, all of it. Stress is a human condition, integral to the structure and functioning of our bodies and minds. Its negative effects tend to manifest in two ways: physical and mental.” - from Performance Success by Don Greene (page 16)
It’s also important to recognize that these physical and mental reactions are not necessarily negative. When we use the term “performance anxiety” or talk about being “nervous,” we automatically put a negative connotation on the experience.
But the truth of the matter is that an adrenaline rush can also feel good, and this is why many people enjoy performing.
(Why else would anyone go skydiving? I’ll stick to playing the piano and you can keep your extreme sports, thank you very much!)
physical activation
Typical physical responses to the activation of our stress response include:
Faster heart rate
Sweaty palms/hands
Cold hands
Shaking hands
Shallow and/or rapid breathing
Heightened sensory awareness
Mental or Emotional activation
Typical mental or emotional responses to the activation of our stress response include:
Feeling worried
Sense of fear or panic
Loss of focus
Negative self-talk
Increase in self-doubt
So, what do we do with these responses to activation?
As musicians, the key is to
practice performing enough that we understand what our bodies typically do in reaction to this hormonal activation,
accept these reactions as normal and something that we will likely never be able to completely get rid of,
learn strategies for dealing with specific symptoms. For instance, if fast, shallow breathing is one of your symptoms, learning some simple breathing techniques can help immensely. And finally,
learn strategies for reminding our minds and bodies that when we perform, we are safe. We are not in any actual physical danger, even though our hormones are telling us that we are!
As teachers, we must help our students to do the same. Sharing our own experiences and those of other musicians with our students in a developmentally-appropriate way can help them understand that they are not alone and normalize the feelings that they are experiencing.
In this post I’ve defined performance anxiety, but I really haven’t given you many specifics tools for how to deal with it. That’s because they are an essential part my course, Preparing Confident Performers. In fact, one whole module (with no less than 5 video lessons) is devoted to Preventing and Minimizing “Performance Anxiety.”
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