“Do you ever get nervous when you perform?”
As a professional musician, this is a question I’m asked frequently, and the answer is…“it depends”.
Some performance situations are so familiar they are not daunting at all. At other times, I feel just as nervous as I did when doing my first ever performance. Most, if not all of us, have probably felt some degree of performance anxiety at some stage in our musical journey.
Feel the pressure
There are a few strategies we can use to manage and reduce nerves. Practise playing under pressure; record yourself on your phone, do a performance to family, friends, your pets, or even play to an empty concert hall. Alternatively, whenever you next practice, you could simply set yourself the challenge to keep playing without stopping, no matter what happens!
Embrace feeling nervous
It’s important to know how to deal with nerves so that we can concentrate on the performance, even if we feel apprehensive. Often nerves can actually make us play better because the adrenaline gives us extra energy. We need to convince ourselves of the fact that feeling nervous doesn’t automatically mean that we’ve forgotten how to play the saxophone! A regular warm up routine can help with this – playing through something familiar (out loud or even silently) before performing can help to reset the mind, breath, and finger control.
Remember why we play!
There is a certain amount of acting that we must do as performers, showing an aura of confidence even if we don’t feel it!
But it’s not just about that. Taking your mind off nerves by focusing on something else is a really positive way to deal with them. What is it that you enjoy about this particular piece? Convey that to the audience – show them whatever it is that makes you love this piece, eg. its beauty, fun, quirkiness, etc. Maybe you’re playing in an amazing venue, or maybe it’s the fun of playing with other people – whatever the reasons, make the most of the opportunity and consciously remind yourself why you’re there. It probably won’t make the nerves disappear entirely, but it can be really helpful to put it all into perspective and ensure you enjoy yourself!
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