I want to talk a little bit about performance anxiety. The truth is, it’s normal. We all have fight or flight so that means that everybody gets nervous, and everybody should get nervous if they’re getting up on a big stage in front of a lot of people or even a little stage in front of some people. Sometimes that is actually scarier.
The truth is, we should have an increased heart rate, some difficulty breathing, and perhaps some sweaty palms, but what we shouldn’t do is let that affect our performance. Practice is a really good way for us to move through this. We have to imagine that setup, that situation we’re going to be in, and be able to get through it. One thing that I really suggest is changing your thinking about the outcome of the situation. Camila Cabello says, “I remember the first show. I was so intimidated, like I was so scared. And there was a switch, I think, in the second or third show where I was like, wait a second, these people aren’t judging me.”
There’s three different ways that you can think. The first, is a positive outcome. This can be great, but it can also be detrimental. An example of that positive-outcome thinking would be, “I’m going to be amazing. I am the best singer ever.” Again, this confidence is awesome, but in reality, sometimes if we mess up, it can work to our disadvantage. The second is negative-outcome thinking, “I’m going to suck. I’m going to ruin everything. Everyone’s going to hate me.” Obviously, this is a terrible way to think. Sure, it’s low expectation so if we do well, we’ll feel really great, but it’s a terrible way to set yourself up for failure. Lastly, the third kind of thinking is just practical thinking. “I’m going to do this. This is my job. I’m going to perform.” This is really the best thinking for performance anxiety because we don’t say it’s going to be good or bad. We just say it’s going to be. This is the best way that we can be our authentic self and get through this difficult moment of nerves.
Coping Mechanisms to Overcome Performance Anxiety
One way to deal with performance anxiety is being able to mentally go through the entire performance in real time. Music education teaches, a lot of people use this technique when they can’t get together with their band. It just exemplifies a way that we can build confidence on our own in our own mind. It’s kind of like meditation. I’ll think about all the parts I need to play, all the vocalizations I need to do, and all of my choreography. After we do it once in real time, I like to do it a second time in double time. That means that I can go through everything quickly and know where I’m going to move to next. Before we finish up, we go one more time in real time. This helps us to end this process with what we are expecting to do on stage exactly. Going through this over and over again is just going to help us feel comfortable when we actually get on stage in front of the crowd.
The best way to recover from a mess-up during a performance is really the same way that you would mess up from a life experience. There’s a couple of ways that you can regain control after you mess up in a performance. According to online music education, one of those is seeing it in the scope of the entire show. Most people won’t recognize that you made an error. The only person that’s going to know that you made an error is yourself and maybe your band. Don’t acknowledge it and push through it. Take a breath and step back. This does not define your entire performance. It will not define your career. It will not define your entire life. It is only a moment to move past and it is gone now.
Everyone makes mistakes during a show. I definitely make more than one in every show. The truth is, we shouldn’t let that take over our anxiety around performing the rest of the show with confidence. One person that has made a mistake that we’re all aware of was Adele. When she performed at the Grammys and she couldn’t find her place, she actually stopped and acknowledged her mistake. I think this was really important for her to do because it created a vulnerability with her and the audience of millions of people all over the world. Showing that she was human actually made her more lovable. I thought it was a really brilliant way for her to deal with making that mistake. Other people on stage will just keep going and not care. Other people will stop the song and acknowledge it until the audience laughs. Really, there’s so many ways of doing this, but I think the most important thing is just to allow yourself to be vulnerable and authentic to your true self when you make a mistake on stage.
