Peak Performance for Musicians
Overcome Music Performance Anxiety with Mental Game Strategies
In a recent session I conducted with performers on what they wanted out of their performances, I found that many of the performers in the group were big believers in the Perfectionists' Creed: Perfectionists' Creed: "If I try hard enough and I am very careful and I follow all of the rules, everything will go right and everyone will love me and I will feel good all of the time." In my best Dr. … [Read more...]
In Lies of Perfectionism, Part 1 we examined several misconceptions perfectionists have and the stories perfectionists keep telling themselves. If you feel like what you accomplish is never going to be good enough, or you often procrastinate engaging in important tasks like practicing or preparing for events, or you feel you must impress others or you set standards that are impossible to … [Read more...]
Words can be wonderful things. Think of Shakespeare, Goethe, Whitman, the Beatles, Tori Amos, Lady Gaga, and YOU. Words help us express ourselves and communicate with each other. The words we use influence the way we think about ourselves and tell others a lot about us . The words we use most often and the mental pictures we create can also be damaging to us and negatively impact our … [Read more...]
Do you have a hard time recovering after making a mistake in a performance or audition? Do mistakes distract you and cause you to beat yourself up and have trouble “staying in” the performance? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are not alone! Here is what a professional cellist said about a recent performance: “After I make a mistake or I miss a shift, I get flustered … [Read more...]