Becoming Bulletproof

Question: Should I perform more?

When it comes to beating nerves and performing more consistently under pressure, we’re often told to “perform more.”

This sounds like reasonable advice, but is this really a good idea?

Well, performing more or playing for others can help – BUT simply performing more, with no larger strategy in mind, is often just a recipe for more negative, uncomfortable, and unsuccessful performance experiences, which can actually make things worse.

A better approach

A more effective approach is to do those practice performances – but a) working from low-pressure to high-pressure, and b) with new skills or mental strategies to test out in each one. That way each performance is something you can approach with curiosity rather than dread. And it allows you to manufacture successes over time, as you accumulate confidence-boosting wins and work up the “pressure ladder.”

It’s like learning how to swim. You wouldn’t just keep throwing your kid into the pool, assuming they’ll figure it out eventually, right? Generally, you’d give the kid a thing or two to try out, so they develop confidence in their ability to be successful in the water.

And what might this look like when applied to music performance?

A trio of skills

Over the last decade or so, I’ve found that for many, there are three key skills that serve as a solid foundation for developing trust in one’s ability to play consistently well under pressure.

• Skill #1: The ability to be flexible and adaptable on stage
• Skill #2: The ability to get into a positive headspace on cue
• Skill #3: The ability to stay focused on things that are relevant and helpful, and shush your inner critic, for the duration of a performance

More fun on stage, and in the practice room too

These skills can be learned, just like all of the other skills you’ve developed in the practice room over the years. It doesn’t even take much time – just a few minutes per day. And you might even find that this makes practicing more fun, with less of the same old same old that can get pretty stale after a while.

To help you get started, I put together a free, 3-day course on how to integrate these three skills into your daily practice. It’s called Becoming Bulletproof, and you can begin with the first lesson right now, by entering your email below.

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