Manage stage fright, performance anxiety, tension or nerves
Many music lovers want to play, but are overwhelmed by frustration. Creating a positive practice attitude is the path to joyful music making. Stage fright, nerves, performance anxiety or tension all interfere with the fun of music. Learning to manage these creates a positive relationship to audiences and paves the way for real confidence in performance.
Performance Confidence
Create a healthy relationship with your instrument, your music and your audience.
Many of us have a love-hate relationship with music. Professionals or recreational players, children or adults are often conflicted because they have a love for music and a desire to play but find playing persistently painful, depressing or stressful.
Music is neither a sustainable profession nor a healthy recreation if is full of frustration and tension. Attaining more technical and musical skills may not necessarily make playing joyful.
Stress in music is evident not only in performance but in home practice. Sometimes we unconsciously interfere with our ability to sit at home and enjoy playing just for the fun of it.
Creating a healthy relationship to music, the instrument and the audience is a skill with can be learnt. The pathway to joy in music inevitably is associated with improvement in self-confidence and self-discipline. It relates to clarifying what we want and how we can work towards it.
The balance of setting a goal for oneself, and acting on this 'in the moment' is both a process for effective and fun music making and for wellbeing in life.
Manage performance anxiety, stage fright, nerves or tension
The nature of music performance requires an emotional engagement. To develop a high level of skill in music also demands a passion for music and discipline in practice.
A tendency towards perfectionism common amongst professional musicians can become overwhelming when combined with the pressures of performance.
Performance confidence is not just psychological - it is a whole body-mind state.
The skills one learns in Alexander Technique apply not only to movement, breath and poise, but are a framework for constructive thinking. It is a decidedly practical and embodied form of mindfulness which impacts on negative habits of mind and body.
Using principles of Alexander Technique may free us from any thought or movement patterns which interfere with our enjoyment of music.
Jeremy Woolhouse became a confident performer through a long period of self-development supported by Alexander Technique, Zen meditation and contemporary psychology. He cites this development as central to his capacity for presenting engaging and fulfilling public performance.
Jeremy’s lessons draw on his personal journey, his experience in professional performance, the teaching of music and of Alexander Technique.
Musicians at any age or stage of performance ability can benefit from support to:
improve self-confidence and confidence in performance
manage performance stress, anxiety, stage fright
maintain or renew inspiration and motivation
thrive under the pressures of professional music
feel comfortable and relaxed when playing
make music joyful and healthy