#3 Performance Tips

Last week was for the people coming to watch a recital.  Now I’m going to turn it around and give the performers some tips.  I’ve been told that I look very calm, collected, and elegant on stage.  What most people don’t see is that I’m actually very nervous, but I pride myself on being able to cover it up.  Here are some tips and secrets to keeping that nervousness to yourself so everyone else sees a confident performer.

Your performance starts as soon as you step through the door and onto the stage.  Make sure you walk in confidently, not looking down at the floor.  But, this is not your opportunity to scan the audience for mom either.  You can look at the audience, but believe me, if you look at individual faces, you’ll be extremely distracted.  Also, smile smile smile!  The more genuine looking a smile, the better.  I have found that a very genuine smile actually helps you calm your nerves.

When you get to your performance spot, make sure you bow before you do anything else.  You have time later to put your music on the stand.  But, only bow if the audience is still applauding.  If they don’t applaud or have stopped applauding by the time you get to your spot, just begin to prepare for your performance.  When you bow, look at your shoes or the floor.  If you look at the audience, you look like you’re about to do some karate.  Also, you should bow with your entire torso.  A slight head nod makes you look cocky and stuck up.  When you’re bowing, think the phrase “Have I tied my shoes today?” for the way down, and “Yes I tied my shoes today” for the way back up.  You don’t have to bow for very long, but very quick bows are also a little awkward.  When in doubt, watch some faculty or experienced music majors.  (A note for females:  If your dress or shirt is low cut, it helps to put your hand on your chest when you bow so you don’t show the girls to everyone in the audience).

Behind the scenes, your preparation can be just as important as what you do while you’re on the stage.  Usually at flute studio recitals, we have a green room where we warm up and wait for our turn to perform.  This is really a lot better than having to listen to everyone else and work up the nerves.  A quiet environment helps you focus, and also gives you a support system of other performers.  I can tell you that at least in the flute studio, everyone is friendly toward each other and very encouraging.

If you feel so nervous that you’re about to throw up, remember this phrase:  inhalation creates tension, exhalation creates relaxation.  Everyone always says take a deep breath, but not everyone remembers to fully exhale that deep breath.  So before you play, just breathe deeply, and imagine yourself playing a perfect performance.  The phrases “I can’t,” “I’m not ready,” and “this piece is hard” should just not enter your mind.  Keep a positive attitude and you’ll give a better performance, no matter how prepared you are.

Finally, when you’ve finished your piece, hold your instrument there for a few seconds and don’t move.  Then, lower your instrument, look at the audience, and smile.  When they start applauding, bow.  As a general rule of thumb, you don’t need to acknowledge your accompanist.  They automatically bow with you; all you have to do is wait a few seconds for them to stand up from the piano.  Afterward, when people tell you what a wonderful job you did, just smile and say “thank you.”  They probably didn’t hear that you missed the breath in measure 37 or screwed up the run in measure 45.  An audience respects someone who has the guts to stand in front of them for five minutes or more and play for them.  Besides, you probably didn’t do nearly as bad as you think you did ;-)