I often felt dread at the thought of performing in front of others, worrying about making mistakes and what people would think of me. Teaching and performing require many similar skills, but they are not the same. Some great teachers find performing challenging, and some great performers are not so good at explaining techniques or adapting to the needs of students. Some are good at both because they teach daily and get a chance to work on their performance skills with regular practice.
I taught piano and flute for many years, but I never spent much time working on my performance skills. Teaching has become second nature to me because I have done it for so long. It has been very rewarding to pass on my knowledge and skills. However, improving my performance skills is a goal I would like to achieve.
Change How I Think About Performance
Starting gradually is the best approach. I will begin by doing the things that feel comfortable, taking small steps to challenge myself. Accepting that making mistakes is normal, and that everyone does at some point, is an important part of the process. Recovering from minor slips is the way forward. Most audiences don’t notice small mistakes or quickly forget them if the performance continues confidently, so I need to learn to stay calm and continue if a performance does not go to plan. I can’t expect perfection, as it is not always possible, but the fact that I have decided to work on my performance skills is what is important.
Practise That Benefits My Performance and Technique
Ways to improve my practice include:
- Starting with small, focused bursts and regular breaks so I don’t get tired and can maintain focus.
- Varying my practice to sustain my attention by using a mix of scales, studies, and pieces.
- Combining slow practice with playing the piece at full tempo.
- Isolating problem notes in the music and working on them until I can play them fluently.
- Practising along with the accompaniment music for flute and recorder, so if I play a wrong note, I have to find a suitable place to continue as the music will not stop and wait for me. I can take a breath, then continue.
- Wearing clothing that I would wear to a performance.
- Playing the whole piece without stopping, asking someone to watch, or recording in one take.
Steps Towards My Goal
Recording myself playing is a positive step because it gets me used to performing under pressure. It also helps me to spot any bad habits. I will start the recording and not edit the video, keeping the mistakes so I can critique my playing. This is the closest to performing I can get at the moment.
I have set myself a long-term performance goal. I am working towards the Grade 8 recorder exam, which is a performance exam. I am interested in Renaissance and Baroque music, and that is one of the reasons I enjoy playing the recorder because it has a large repertoire from these eras. I haven’t done any exams in such a long time, so it will be good revision for me. I will have to record myself playing four pieces on the alto recorder and send it to the examiner. I have already completed an ALCM (TD) in piano and Grade 8 in flute, so achieving this would be another valuable qualification to add to my portfolio.
Creating informal performances for a friend feels much less intimidating. From there, I can gradually perform for a few more people, so it becomes more natural rather than feeling like too big a step.
Watching professional players and listening to their stories about how they developed their performance skills, both good and bad, will provide me with ideas, expectations, and reassurance. Learning about the onstage disasters they have experienced during their careers has shown me that everyone has setbacks. Even professional musicians make mistakes, and learning to recover is part of becoming an experienced performer.
Working on my weaker areas in performance will help me gain the confidence to overcome the fear of making mistakes. This trains my mind to be aware that I am being watched when I am playing, to get used to background noise, and to handle the uncertainty of a performance.
Separating practice and performance will develop my confidence. In practice, I refine my skills, and in performance I rehearse how to keep playing and create a steady performance even when things do not go to plan. I have mostly played in private settings, performed in classrooms, in exam settings, and in small recitals at college. However, the more a musician performs, the better they get at doing it.
Choosing repertoire within my technical abilities allows me to perform with greater confidence. I will also slow my breathing when I start and take my time so I don’t rush into playing and panic.
Final Thoughts
Anyone can use these tips if they think they will help. Working on this goal is also useful for me so I can teach these skills to my own students.
Improving my performance skills will take time, and I know I can work towards becoming a more confident musician gradually. Even without regular opportunities to perform, I can start working on this skill through recordings, informal performances, and focused practice. A woodwind group would be ideal for me to enjoy playing alongside others. It would be something I could continue to enjoy during retirement.
Performance may be one of my weaker areas, but that doesn’t mean I can’t improve. I need to keep working at it. Learning to exploit my strengths and work on my weaknesses is something all musicians have to do. For me, a successful performance is being able to stay calm and recover when things do not go to plan. It is not about eliminating anxiety, but learning to manage it.
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