Piano Performance: Overcome Your Stage Fright

Stage fright should not hinder one from performing in front of an audience. Yet it is very much a reality. Did you know there are ways to help overcome it?

Brief Background on Public Piano Performances and How Technology Changed them

The first ever public piano concert in history was performed by Johann Christian Bach in 1768, London. J.C Bach is the youngest son of the well known J.S. Bach.

This public performance was the start of many of its kind. J.C. Bach, like his father, was a very gifted musician and composed many works during his life.

The Opera became his most important genre where he wrote arias and overtures for others which made his claim to fame. Piano performances became all the more popular as the demand for them increased.

The Impact of technology can be seen throughout time as new discoveries and breakthroughs were made. Aside from the piano being digitised, other aspects were changed as well.

If one wanted to listen to the piano during the 1800’s , you would have to go to a theatre or, if you were lucky, one of the king’s parties. Yet seeing that the origin of the piano existed in mainly Italy, Europe – most people were poor and could not afford this luxury. Yet as time passed, the royal lines were stripped from their power and faded away.

Today anyone can listen to a piano performance with just the click of a button. Theatres still exist, yet are infinitely less famous as they were in the 19th century.

Benefits of Public Performance

Did you know that 60 – 80 % of professional musicians suffer from stage anxiety? In another case that was done, it was found that 95% of musicians experience stage anxiety. This high level stress can also contribute to alcohol and drug addiction! If this can be the outcome, why even bother?

Individuals who practise public performance, become more and more accustomed to the stress leading to a reduction in stage fright. Not only is this helpful for stage performances, but can be beneficial in other high stress related situations.

It is considered a benefit because when you are introduced to a situation where there is a lot of pressure involved, you will be able to think more clearly and be able to handle the stress better. This is possible because the feeling becomes familiar and over time it will be diminished or at least controllable.

Scientific studies have shown that publicly performing in front of others boosts brain activity and leads to self-confidence and pride. These skills attained can be used wherever one goes.

One can also achieve a sense of accomplishment. Overcoming your fear to perform in front of others will leave you with a feeling of accomplishment. This will increase your self-esteem and help with many more performances yet to come.

Not only will overcoming your fear benefit your well-being, but can help open doors for you too. Exposing yourself to the crowds can draw attention and create new opportunities. A professional could scout you out and offer you to be an intern for them or their company, where you could even have the opportunity to join an orchestra.

Or in other cases, people can offer to perform at events, parties and more- just because of a performance you excelled in. Now you are creating a name for yourself and the more you perform at places, the better you get, and the more people will know your name.

Contacts spread very fast, next thing you know you will be performing at the Sydney opera house! If you want to become a piano teacher or already are one, you can also promote your own piano teachings during your performances to get people interested.

Public Performance is a great way to create financial opportunities and improve your skills.

Now you know why – here’s how:

Perfect Your Stage Performance

Your audience can only see what you want them to see, thus one can fake looking relaxed and at ease on the outside, when in reality it is a whirlwind of emotions on the inside.

Why not look the part and feel it on the inside too? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you overcome your stage fright:

Get Lost in the Music

If you really want to captivate your audience, you have to make it believable. By that I mean truly expressing yourself through every note you play. Subtle movements like leaning into the piano or moving slightly forward on your chair help with creating this effect. The more you live out the music, the more your audience feels connected and the more you forget they’re even there!

Practice

Usually when one is faced with a high stress level situation, you tend to forget things. Thus you need to make sure that you are extremely familiar with your pieces to ensure you won’t accidentally forget some notes or make unnecessary mistakes.

Exercise

Move around. Doing a few easy exercises like jumping up and down, or shaking your muscles will help ease tension in your body which will help regulate your stress. Doing this just before a performance will definitely help you feel more calm when you go up on stage.

Breathe

Breathing deep and slow can help increase your oxygen levels, reducing stress by lowering blood pressure and heart rate. It will help calm the nervous system which is crucial for performing a piece in front of an audience.

Perform in Front of Others

“Practice makes perfect”. Force yourself to practise and play the piano in front of others. Making it a habit to do so can create a routine where you can easily get used to the pressure and know how to handle and control it. This will slowly help build up confidence which you can apply for when performing in front of a big audience.

Stage fright is a real thing and a lot of musicians struggle to cope with the stress. It can almost definitely impact your performance and lead to accidental and unnecessary faults during the play.

Mastering your stage anxiety is a key factor into becoming a better musician. Practice makes perfect, the more you face your fear – the easier it will become.

Your audience is watching your every move intently… So why not give them a show?