Ack!

Have you ever had the experience of walking into a performance and discovering that you had no control over your body? Where you played nowhere near your true abilities?

I certainly had my share of those days. The worst part was that there seemed to be no answers. “Just relax” people would say. “Enjoy yourself and remember that everyone is there to enjoy the performance too” others would offer. “Practice more” would be the standard response. And sure, it probably wouldn’t have been such a bad thing if I had been a little more diligent in the practice room…but even when I was, it didn’t seem to change things as much as I hoped it might.

And then I learned that there were a whole set of skills I’d never learned. Like the ability to manage one’s nerves, the ability to quiet that voice in your head and actually focus on the task at hand, or the ability to recover immediately from mistakes instead of seeing your performance spiral to the bad place.

And that there were a whole series of answers, solutions, and research-based tactics that made consistent high-level performances possible. Which came from a field of research known as sport or performance psychology, and addressed the mental side of performing.

So if you’ve been frustrated with performance anxiety or sub-par performances – and don’t know how to change things – I’d like to help.

Who do I work with?

I work with musicians who have an upcoming performance or audition that feels too important to leave to chance. We’ll usually start by taking a look at your existing practice and performance preparation plans. And then we’ll see what mental skills might need some work, experiment a bit with some drills and exercises aimed at strengthening those areas, and integrate all of this into your daily practice routine.

Clients have ranged from established members of major international orchestras, to early-career professionals, and young performers preparing for college/grad school auditions or national/international competitions.

Here are a couple comments from musicians I’ve worked with…