Unleash your true performing potential!
September 24th, 2009 — Theory
A little biology today…
There are plenty of medical textbooks out there about the nervous system and the human body, but what I’m going to do today here is save you the time of digging through all of those sources, and give you the low-down on your nervous system and how it all works when it comes to your performing life.
September 21st, 2009 — Theory
Most performers, when they feel pre-performance nerves or tension, describe the sensation as performance anxiety. We all know that performance anxiety is a sensation that can have negative effects on your ability to perform.
But sometimes you might hear “a little bit of nervousness can actually help a performance”.
Is this true? Is there more to “performance anxiety” than meets the eye?
Let’s find out! Continue reading →
September 5th, 2009 — General info, Inspiration, Theory
I came across this very interesting, thought-provoking, and useful article about public speaking without nervousness. It’s written by Jamie Lash, Director of Student
Development at Dallas Baptist University and co-author of the best-selling book “This Was Your Life!” Jamie’s website is http://www.LifeGivingWords.com
Glen’s pastor was so impressed with something Glen said to him that he asked Glen to share it with the whole congregation. Glen had done some public speaking and didn’t think he’d be nervous. He was wrong.
Glen belongs to an enormous church. As he gazed at the church’s five thousand seats, television cameras, and bright lights, his palms
started to sweat, and his legs felt like cooked spaghetti. Try as he might, he couldn’t relax. Suddenly, just seconds before he was called upon, Glen’s wife turned to him and asked,
“Honey, are you doing this for yourself or for these people?”
Glen recalls, “When she asked me that question, it was like a pin bursting a bubble. All of a sudden, I didn’t care about how I looked, how my words would come out, or what people thought of me. All I could think of was that I owed them more than someone up there who
just cared about himself. When I got up to speak, I was free from fear. I actually had fun. Afterward, it was a joy to hear several people say that what I shared was exactly what they needed.”
Glen learned a valuable lesson that all of us can learn. By changing the goal of our hearts, we can be completely free from stage fright.
Nervousness can diminish or even destroy our effectiveness. When I am plagued by stage fright, several nasty symptoms arise:
1) Sometimes my mind goes blank. A roomful of people stare at me expectantly, waiting to hear something profound, but I can hardly remember my name.
2) I talk too fast. Pausing allows people time to let things soak in, but I’m afraid to pause–lest people use that moment to conclude that the speaker is an idiot.
3) I am too flustered to think clearly. Regardless of how organized my notes might be, my presentation is disorganized. I often cover points in the wrong order or leave them out altogether.
4) My jokes aren’t funny. Because my timing is shot to pieces, all attempts at humor fall flat. If people laugh at all, it’s only because they feel sorry for me.
5) I fail to establish a rapport with my audience.
These nervous symptoms can short-circuit the communication process so that very little penetrates the minds and hearts of the listeners.
Fortunately, if we are willing to face up to the true cause of our nervousness, God has a cure.
To be continued tomorrow…
August 27th, 2009 — General info, Inspiration, Interesting sites, Theory, techniques
This article was sent to me quite some time ago by Nathan Schacherer. I believe the article originates from horndoggie.com
Definitely worth a read!
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The inner voice – friend or foe?
While practicing music, I mentally take note of areas that sound good, passages that sound OK, and passages that need more work.
I try my best to be non-judgmental in this process as I am aware that excessive negativity can destroy; negative labels can impede my progress with mental blocks and psychological hang-ups. Studies show that there is a direct mind/body connection between what a person thinks and feels with how a person performs. The field of sports psychology, in fact, is entirely devoted to exploring and capitalizing on this connection to maximize an athlete’s performance.
Mental blocks of one variety or another can appear when least expected. Besides the occasional paranoia about my chops, the second biggest mental hurdle for me is remaining non-judgmental of musical passages or techniques that are “in the works.” This holds especially true when I am working out a passage for an event where I will be judged: a recital, a jury exam or an orchestral audition. Staying positive and constructive in this scenario can sometimes be a challenge for me – especially if the outside world creeps in.
August 21st, 2009 — General info, Interesting sites, Theory, techniques
Here is the beginning of the eBook “Just another day at the office…How to get better results in auditions and other ‘high-pressure’ performance situations”
It is available for FREE download at:
http://www.thezonebook.com/free_downloads.php
Free eBook
Enjoy!
“Just another day at the office…” was originally written for classical musicians as an aid in preparing for auditions and other solo performances. However, the information in this eBook can be applied to anyone in a ‘high-pressure’ performance situation!
August 15th, 2009 — General info, Theory, techniques
‘JUST PLAY NATURALLY’ is an account of Vivien Mackie’s three-year cello study with Pablo Casals in the 1950s and her discovery of the resonance of his teaching with the principles of the Alexander Technique. The book is written by Joe Armstrong and Vivien Mackie, and is available by clicking here.
August 3rd, 2009 — Interesting sites, Theory, techniques
(This article is published here with kind permission from the author, Joe Armstrong. For more information, please visit www.joearmstrong.info)
By Joe Armstrong
Boston, 2005
INTRODUCTION
Thirty years ago, when I wrote my master’s thesis[1] examining how the Alexander Technique can help musicians deal with stress in performing, I realized my research and writing on the subject couldn’t be more than a sketch of the widespread problem and its solution from Alexander’s psychophysical point of view, only examining the Technique as a very general resource and paving the way for doing more elaborate study and research in the future. As expected, the experimental study of a college piano repertoire class supported the idea that you could use the Technique to stay more integrated and more in control when you perform, thereby giving yourself fullest access to whatever degree of musicianship and musicality you might possess—no small achievement to anyone who suffers from nervousness or stage fright. So the window onto the inner life of musicians was opened a little more than it had been previously—but not much.
All my years since then of specializing in teaching the Alexander Technique to student and professional musicians have continued to confirm to me its value in dealing with “nerves” and in promoting superlative control. But this teaching experience, along with my own evolving use of the Technique as a flutist to maintain a performing standard that’s ever more whole, alive, and fully communicative, made me want to go on seeing if I could probe deeper into the barriers to fullest music making. In my searching I’ve come up with some ideas and observations that I hope can be useful to those of you who are working at incorporating Alexander’s discoveries into your playing, and I’d like to tell you about them here. As I do this, I’ll also include some writings and reflections on the subject that I’ve collected over the years, which I hope will enhance crucial points in the main text. I’ve put an “N” in the main text to refer to these selections that are placed at the end of each section. (The bracketed numbers are links to source notes listed at the very end of the article.)
