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I hope this is OK to do, but if not, please let me know. I haven't been posting as much as usual lately because I've been creating a website. There's a lot of things about piano and singing that I want to say, but on forums sometimes it's not as easy to get as in-depth as I'd like.

So I decided to create a blog where I can post articles that go into detail on things that I've seen come up a lot over the years here on ABF. I've started a series of articles on Performance Anxiety which can be found here:

http://lovemusiclearning.com/performance-anxiety-part-1-of-8-love-and-fear/

Feel free to comment on my blog or in here (although comments on the blog are appreciated). I also have a couple of other articles up there and some videos that might be of interest.

Hope this is helpful for those of you who are struggling with performance anxiety (most musicians I know have it!).

Great news! I'm looking forward to exploring it!

Great article, thanks for sharing. I noticed you can become a member on your site. What does that provide? I signed up for the newsletter.

You'll get weekly mailings on when new articles and videos are available. You are also able to make comments to posts or videos. There will be more member-exclusive benefits as I go along, but I wanted to get things moving and get a mailing list going.

Here is an interesting podcast on the same subject

https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/...-performance-anxiety-quiet-inner-critic/

www.cmajorninekeyz.info/

That's great! I havn't read the articule but your posts are always interesting and wise. When I see you posted something I always make sure to read it, even in threads that don't interest me. I always learn something
I'm lookin forward reading the blog!

Thank you!

Couldn't have said it better myself. so +1, I had a browse the other day already and a quick read of the few posts there. I'll sign up for sure. Great idea.

For me, when Morodiene words are spoken they never go under the radar whatever the topic, whether I feel the discussion is relevant to me or not, for me it is interesting for learning/education in any case, whatever the topic. As a self learner I have benefited a lot already from them for sure, even if do not take part in such discussions most of the time or say thanks when I should. I do read them carefully, so I'll say thank you here and now for your efforts and the blog.

I'm with Muove

Interesting blog on the Love vs Fear of performing. I find that I have some performance anxiety even when just playing for my family or teacher, but it certainly is less with over-preparation. As I'm improving, I'm drifting towards that Love mode more and more often.

Keep 'em coming!

Great blog and article, Morodiene! You have always been *so helpful* and supportive to us here on AB Forum. I'm glad you're storing and sharing your wisdom in a website where it can be easily found (as opposed to, say, the search function here on PW!).

The blog left me wanting more which is what you want, right? I also find it helpful (just about everywhere) to observe whether my motives/actions/choices arise from fear or love.

Yes, there is more coming! I have it broken up into parts to make it a bit easier to navigate and parse it out in your mind as well.

Morodiene, congrats on starting this! These days I'm not on PW nearly as often as I'd like to be, so I'm glad I happened to stop by and see this thread! I will definitely check it out and sign up

Morodiene - what a wonderful idea - and well executed! I found your article to be carefully, thoughtfully, and honestly written. Even the pictures you used were not simple "shutterstock fillers to make it look pretty". The picture of the feet standing on secure support, but with gravity looming below, says everything! The whole tone of it speaks to what it is - an article written by a seasoned, experienced teacher and performer. I think your blog and future articles will be helpful to many of us here, as well as being a pleasure to read. This one certainly was.

ShiroKuro - thanks for signing up! You'll be getting email reminders of when something new is available so you can check in when you have a moment

keystring - thank you for checking it out! Visual aides are helpful, I think, in getting the point across. I have lots of plans for future articles and instructional videos - as soon as I'm back in FL with my acoustic piano I will get started on those. I really appreciate your kind words.

I've uploaded the next article in this series:

Performance Anxiety - Preparation



Having taught many students over the years, I’ve seen various levels of readiness to perform. I would say most students did what they thought was preparing and working hard, but what I’ve learned over the years observing myself and others is that there’s always more one can do. This means that it’s a process that you add layers to after each performance after assessing how it went.



I always appreciate feedback - either here or on the website!

The next article in the series is now available!

Performance Anxiety Part 3: Outlook



There’s an inner battle we have with ourselves that can make even the most prepared person fall apart on stage. Having the right outlook on things can make all the difference in the world between success and failure when performing.

Thanks Morodiene for the great blog !!! It has helped me to do a lot of thinking about performance. For reasons I did not understand, I have never had anxiety with speaking for a crowd of 500, but have anxiety with playing for even only a few..but after thinking about it, I realize with speaking I don't worry about whether there is a potential tricky section or indeed whether I just made a mistake, With Piano performance, the anxiety has been what can go wrong (you know, that pesky section on page 3)

So I tried something new in my piano lesson yesterday with a piece at performance level: I told the judges to go away, asked the small child that loved just hearing the music come sit with me, and I focused just on the sound and the emotion. I shooed away all those thoughts regarding the difficult measure that is coming up... and my teacher told me I have never played it better.

Do I think I have a permanent fix? Absolutely not. But I think I have a plan. I have been reading a lot about performance lately, but your blog really helped me put it all together. Now, I just need to learn to reproduce what I did at one time, every time

That is so awesome to hear!! As you go along, the anxiety will decrease, but it will always be there if you let it. The good news is that you'll get even better about shutting up those voices too, and you'll have more positive experiences performing to build trust in your abilities.

Article #4 is available now:

What's Really at Stake?

I've never done rock climbing, mostly because it seems so risky to me. I might actually die trying! Piano, by comparison, is not often as risky. We do, however, tend to make the stakes higher than they need to be when performing, which can add to the anxiety factor.



The process of dealing with Performance Anxiety needs to contain some healthy doses of perspective and self-reflection.

Ask yourself questions like: Why am I doing this? Is there really anything at stake other than my pride? Am I afraid of disappointing a teacher (either real or imagined pressure)? Am I trying to prove to loved ones that it’s worth the time and money I’ve spent on lessons and an instrument? Am I trying to get approval from others, or acknowledgment from the musical community that I “belong there”? Do I need the faculty/judge/audience to approve of me in order to move forward in my career or dreams?