Starting a piece for my school band with a solo seemed like no big deal, until twenty minutes before the concert. I did not feel nervous up until an hour before. As I stepped into my practice room to begin warming up and tuning, it suddenly hit me. I had my family coming to watch me and my friends and classmates were in the audience. I was immediately filled with anxiety and was apprehensive of what was to come next. I kept thinking of what could go wrong or ways I could mess up and the impact that would have on the band as a whole. Thankfully, this performance went well, and I felt much better when I sat down with my section and started to play my flute.
1 in 3 people (including students as well as teachers) suffer from performance anxiety (not just music, but sports, speech etc.) WebMD states that millions of people suffer from performance anxiety no matter the size or group of people watching. I tend to feel the most nervous when people who I know are watching me perform. However, other people state that they feel the most nervous in front of a large audience. Some state that they feel the most nervous when there is a smaller group of people as they could be more knowledgeable and hence more critical on the music being performed.
Performance anxiety is often harmful to the individual. There have been instances where musicians and directors feel overwhelmed to the point of having a break down right before a performance. Performance anxiety can reduce one’s self-confidence and esteem, resulting in a feeling that they are not good enough. Although this is not true, in the heat of the moment many develop these feelings. However, in some cases, performance anxiety can have positive effects. Performance anxiety can bring out a person’s flight-or-fight response and can get them ready for their event. Performance anxiety can get an individual better prepared for what is next. Finding the positives in these challenging situations, can give us peace and get us ready and excited for our performances.
