I've been doing some research on stretching for musicians. Most of the tension we have comes from our hands, neck, back, and shoulders. Many articles i've read show that stretching before practicing can reduce injury, and reduce the tension you experience while practicing. Here is a link I found for some yoga stretches for musicians. Doing simple stretches such as shoulder shrugs, and squeezing your shoulder blades can help relax you before your practice. Since many musicians experience strains such as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Bursitis, and Tendonitis.. stretching is vital for us.
Another interesting article I found.

Professor Esposito

How many years have you been playing?

21

How did you deal with performance anxiety as a young player?

It was more triall by fire and preparation helped. You don’t really realize the awareness and the importance of each concert. Start  to learn how important it is, the background.

How do you handle it now?

Doesn’t get too nervous now just because of the frequency of the performances. Gets anxious sometimes. Gets less nervous with the quality of the audience. Its not that we get nervous about the task at hand. We get nervous about being nervous. Deals with it by accepting it as something normal. Accepting the feelings helps the performance. Don’t fight against them because that creates more struggles.

Do you know of any certain excercises that can help dealing with performance anxiety?

Hasn’t done anything like that. Visualization techniques. Thinks something physical manifestations of the nerves. Tries to work on breathing and pay attention to breathing cycles. Pictures herself walking on the stage and what the audience might look like. Putting music on stage, bowing, presenting herself.

Do you think playing from memory or improv can help performance anxiety?

It certainly can. You always have to be careful why you are doing it. The purpose is important. If you use memory as a tool in your practice so that you really know the practice, it can help. It really depends on the person. Sometimes playing without the music can make a person feel more nervous.

Interview with Professor Agrell

How many years have you been playing?

53 years

How did you deal with performance anxiety as a young player?

Badly. In high school got lots of solos and always got a waver in his tone. You never know whats going to come out of your horn which was frightening for him.

How do you handle it now?

Still gets nervous but he doesn’t get that kind of nervous. When improvising he never gets nervous cause he has no idea what he’s going to be playing. Improving feels good at the time, and enjoys every second of it because you don’t have to be focusing on whats on the page. Classical solos not so much because its harder to get through since you can’t lose yourself in it.

Do you know of any certain excercises that can help dealing with performance anxiety?

Practice focusing by siting upright in a chair or in the lotus chair. Some call it meditation some call it focusing. Practice sitting up straight and use the spine as supporting weight and using deep breaths. Do at least one minute of it. Pick one thing and focus on it for example a word without corners or one that is smooth. Take the word one for instant or pick out a note or anything really without a connotation. Watching your breath going up and down can help your focus. You want your hands to feel heavy and warm. Make sure every body part is relaxed from toes to your head. The radio in your head is a distraction, and your head is not your friend. Get the voice to shut up.

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Performance has two different main aspects

1. How well you know the piece

2. Standing up on stage

If you have discomfort it’ll drag you down.

There’s no substitute for knowing the piece inside and out.

You need to practice performing as much as possible, whether its for kids or a nursing home. Sports for example get to practice performing every week but musicians only get to perform occasionally, so we need all the practice we can get.

You typically focus on

1.     What you feel

2.     What the audience experiences

    You need to learn not to care about what they think when you make a mistake, because most of the time they don’t even catch it if you don’t have a reaction to it.

Use the voice in your head when practicing to critique yourself, however silence that voice when performing.

 Culture

The culture works against as keeping our focus(for example, technology). Be able to do one thing without doing anything else.

Mindset

Shouldn’t be there when performing. Different mindset. Performance mind is no words, just awareness of what you are doing and releasing what you had. Ads tension when thinking too much. Focusing, no tension(use only specific muscles you need), ego detachment. Not attached to the results. Performing is not about your ego, its about what just happened. You are almost expected to have a reaction when you do something wrong, however you shouldn’t let it phase you. What happens, happens. Always think of what you need to adjust, don’t be focusing on how you’re doing. Keep thinking about communication and less about perfecting.

Tips

We want to be good on stage, but we don’t have much stage time. Play a lot of easy pieces and go play for people. Do it as many times as you can so you get used to that environment. Selective creative not caring. You are not connecting their opinion with you to their ego. If you don’t care, you are calm and you let mistakes go. Welcoming the first mistake. Nothing is at steak if you mess up. Play it before you have the real hearing.

Relating musicians to acting

Thinks we should have to take an acting course to be comfortable on stage. Acting and musicians are a lot a like. This is acting and controlling the audience. Audience is immediately deciding on how they feel about you. Come out and look pleasant and your body language/how you carry yourself, because the audience immediately is analyzing what you do.

Recital Notes/how you carry yourself

Practice video of performance and how you carry yourself. Practice the recital notes. Make it conversational. Practice it to everyone you can. Move slowly because time and space warps when you go on stage. When speaking don’t talk too fast, let it go and stay in the moment. Put on an illusionand play as if you’re the best. First impressions matter so teach them and show them how to feel. Use lots of expression and convince them of something. Be a Story teller, illusionist.

Ego

Its hard to keep your ego out of it. They won’t catch everything you miss. Carry yourself well around people too even after the performance. If someone compliments a section you messed up on, thank them. Don’t bring up mistakes, because more than likely they missed it. Fight all of the culture and the training. Let mistakes be opportunities to learn something.

What is your scale jam about?

Just doing scales in a bunch of different ways. Making sense of small parts of scales. Learn different ways around music. Communication is key. Learning units of the scale. Automated so where you don’t have to think. 

So yesterday I went to a presentation over performing with Coach Alexander who is the coach for the Bengals and is a concert pianist. This REALLY applied to my final project because he talked about the Alexander Technique in his presentation and how not only musicians, but athletes go through the nerves. The movement/mental ability to do a certain skill as close to perfection as possible is hard in a performance setting. He mentioned that for example when he teaches football players a certain drill, he tells them to not think of each step they take, but rather more of where they are going. If you are thinking of so many different steps while in performance, failing will be a likely outcome. One interesting connection he used was with geniuses. Geniuses are so successful because they find an easy solution to things that may take a lot of steps. This I can apply to performing, because after you've practiced so much you should be able to put yourself on auto pilot for the performance so in case you do mess up, you can keep moving forward. You shouldn't have to think of every little thing when you are performing because that makes it easier to feel nervous and be more likely to fail. This was a great presentation, and I learned so much!

This weekend I went to a concert for Improvisation for Classical Musicians. I learned a lot just watching what the musicians did in response to each other's musical phrases. When improvising, other musicians would join into a voice and accompany them. This performance showed how much you really have to communicate through music. It was a good way to get their eyes off music and just play from their thoughts and eachother. I might try taking this class in the next few years!

The plan for this week(hopefully) is to interview the flute professor on performance anxiety.

Alexander Technique interview with Rachelle Tsachor

What is your definition of the Alexander technique?

A technique for consciousness of how you are doing what you do.

How can it be applied to musicians?

Learning the alexander technique helps the musician be aware of what they are thinking, and how they are carrying out that thinking in action, so that they add stress into the system.

What is your view on performance anxiety/how do you handle it?

Notice the thinking/stimulus, and then notices the response to the thinking. Sees if she wants to think of something different so not building up stress.

Are there certain techniques that are helpful in getting rid of tension for performance anxiety?

Alexander technique. Allowing the neck to be free is a start and let the body come out of startle and into a more balanced readiness.

Do you think it’s ever possible to completely get over performance anxiety/stiffening of the body?

One can become an expert in response to a stimulus. Becoming empowered.

Interesting experiment: She asked me how I feel about performance anxiety and as I told her how I felt, she said I tensed up and the color in my face actually changed a little.

Its important to notice our response to an anxiety.  Also noticing the physical response to a stimulus and then undoing the physical response.

Extra:

Movement helps relax from the stress.

Stress responses: Fight, flight, freeze, flop

Watch me play in my excerpt group! We still have work to do on our releases and such but we have been making progress. One very important thing I learned at the last coaching was about breathing and how you need to come in confidently and in time after you take a breath rather than hesitating and causing different entrances. Also a clip of our best take is here

I have been working out more regularly! I am feeling so much better about my practicing even though I am busier especially when adding a work out. Funny how things work that way. On Monday, I will be interviewing someone over the Alexander technique, and I am looking forward to learning more about it. Tomorrow I will be performing in seminar, and can't wait! Wish me luck :)

So I've been working out and playing which I think has been beneficial! The only thing is, I am not as motivated because I am tired after I work out. After getting into practicing, I have been more focused and relaxed.. its just getting to the practicing part which can be difficult after doing an intense work out.

Yesterday I did a workout before I played which included riding a bike for 15 minutes, and doing a few cycles of pushups, lunges, jumping jacks, sit ups, etc. Needless to say, I am very sore today especially since I haven't worked out like that for a while. When I practiced after exercising, at first I felt very tired. I did my usual warm up of arpeggios and long tones, and I found with these I played very loud naturally, but I was tired. After playing for around forty five minutes I really got calmed down and this eventually helped my playing. I was more successful with controlling my breathing. Exercising was very beneficial to my playing, and I'm excited to see how I feel when doing this more often this week.

This week's update!

Plan...

So my plan is during spring break to do cardio before I play and see how that influences me. The week after spring break I am going to be interviewing someone over the Alexander Technique so that will be beneficial.

Performance Anxiety Interviews

Professor Parker(Oboe) Playing for around 28 years

What is the mind set you have before/during a performance?

Very balanced blend of excited and anxious, and during very focused.

Are there any techniques you use to calm nerves before the performance?

Meditation, listening to music, calming body through deep breathing. Hasn’t had a lot of success with that. Mostly time and experience, and excellent preparation is what keeps him successful with his playing.

What movitvates you during a performance?

The music. Conveying the character with as much beauty and elegance as possible.

What are some things you think about when you mess up during a performance? Do you ignore it?

Has two minds: can’t believe he did that, and then other mind says its fine and go even deeper. Easy to get a little paralyzed. Makes it seem like its part of the music, and the audience should get used to hearing it. Play anything and everything with confidence no matter what happens.

How have your nerves been over the years?

Have they gone away, decreased, or increased?

They’ve gotten better. Had really bad nerve troubles in college, time and experience have helped.

Do you know of any relaxation techniques in general?

Using the energy and recalibrating what performance anxiety is and what nervousness is. Performance anxiety shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, its an adrenaline rush that prepares you for the performance.

How often do you try playing things from memory, and has that been beneficial/would you recommend it?

Not often in performances, and thinks its beneficial because it has to be so well prepared and it will carry it through. Accepting, and taking it in makes it seem not as bad.

Do you think separating the mind from the actual pages of music can help musicality, or do you think its beneficial in any way specifically?

 It can help musicality and prepare for the performance. You enter more of an internal place and don’t have much distraction with looking at the page.

Extra note:

Thought a lot about anxiety, and got nervous a lot but realized part of problem is we perceive it as a bad thing. Its really is just adrenaline, to help us perform better. Recalibrate approach as something beneficial and incorporate it in our performance.

How you carry yourself: Always thinks about confidence going out on stage. Even if nervous, acting confident can actually cause confidence. Audience notices discomfort right away and that can become vicious circle if you are giving an uncomfortable vibe. 

I am starting to do research on the Alexander Technique and performance anxiety. One article I found, lists all of the obstacles that you can face before/during a performance. Some of these may not go away not matter how much you practice, however there are certain ways to reduce the amount of stress of these things.

1. Uncontrollable breathing
2. Tense muscles
3. Loss of balance
4. Unclear thinking
5. Dry mouth
6. Moist hands
7. Impaired sense of time
8. Trembling

Now, I will list a few ways that could improve these stressful things we experience before we do a performance.
1. Breathing exercises, or meditation before a performance can help calm the nerves.
2. Yoga, or brief stretching and deep breathing can help relax the muscles.
3. Practice a few balancing exercises before you go on. (Such as the tree pose)
4. Try to focus on the now, not mistakes you have made or the unknown outcome.
5. Be sure to stay hydrated before the performance.
6. Possibly bring a small rag, or towel to wipe hands before you go on?
7. Relax, to keep away from the tendency of rushing, but be sure to subdivide.
8. Focus on relaxing specific parts of your body before hand. For example for trembling hands, try thinking of relaxing every finger, and possibly even massaging them to reduce the trembling.

I made it to my goal! I practiced two hours each day last week! I felt really good about it, but this week I unfortunately feel a little burnt out. I also have a lot of things I have to do, so its not as easy to fit two hours of practicing in. My goal this week/next week is to interview a few professors here about how they deal with performance anxiety, and what mindset they have as a performer.

So, I am really proud of myself! Today and yesterday I practiced for two hours and I feel fantastic about my playing! Why haven't I done this before? I am making a lot of improvement very quickly. Hopefully I will continue this two hour practice time deal! Also, today I started in an excerpt group which went really well. Going into it I played as confidentally as I could even though I hadn't seen the music before today. It was really a great experience to play in the atrium and with other musicians(that don't play tuba). I'm feeling good about tuba I must say :)

So today I have my lesson, and I feel that it will go really well! I have been on a good practice schedule, but this week I am going to work on increasing my time. I typically only practice for an hour a day which being a performance major, is not ideal. This week I'm going to try to bump it to an hour and a half/two hours. Wish me luck! I will blog about my progress at the end of the week.

Drawing for my friend Tiffani!

Today I started a new method for practicing! I am starting to try and play things by ear. When I first started it was really hard to sound confident just because I didn't know what the notes were. After I practiced a few songs for a little bit, my confidence improved and I could add more musicality. I am going to make this part of my every day practice!

I finally found a very useful way to practice for myself! Yesterday I warmed up for fifteen minutes doing scales, arpeggios, and long tones. Afterwards I practiced my etudes and solo, then at the very end I did another "warm up" to mostly test and improve my endurance. This practicing has been helping my higher range a lot, so I will keep it up! Unbelievably yesterday I played a C without any force. I used all of my hair and just played how high I could and got up to an E flat but first I realized I played a C and it wasn't difficult at all. Oh happy day! :)

http://www.tonedeafcomics.com/a-tuba-players-brain/

So today I did my yoga work out before I practiced. I think it went really well! Normally when I play for some reason, my body just feels the need to move(typically my legs and feet). Today I noticed there was not as much tension, and it felt relaxing to play. Also, I have been doing breathing exercises before my practice sessions. The improvement in my tone is amazing! Doing breathing exercises, and octave slurs have really helped what I sound like in the upper and lower register.

The yoga workout I did today was simple because I am getting back into the swing of things, but here are a few moves/basic stretches I did

Eka Pada Parivrtta Upavisthasana 
Navasana
Parsva Upavistha Konasana
Baddha Konasana
Child Pose
Warrior Pose
Vasisthasana

Bare with me! I'm not the greatest with making videos yet, but I'm working on improving. Later today I will post if doing yoga helped me, and how breathing has helped me with practicing lately.

Today, I learned that you should always plan on things going wrong, when working with an accompanist or trying to figure out your senior recital. There are a lot of things that I didn't even think about, that you need to prepare for(such as program notes, appropriate stage lighting, finding a time to do a dress rehearsal, and making an appropriate order of your selections).
In other news, unfortunately I didn't have a good lesson today. In preparation for the etude I struggled the most with, I didn't spend enough time without the metronome. I got lost quite often and found that I wasn't constantly subdividing. When I used the metronome, I let it do the thinking for me.. so I wasn't always thinking about the time. Well, I will do much better on my next lesson! Also, keep watching.. this weekend I am going to do yoga before I play, and see if that helps me relax or improve my playing.

Goal performance

One day I will play the Three Romances for Susie by Barbara York. My professor played it beautifully!

Today I am going to start doing breathing exercises that I found from a video, and also do some that I learned in high school. Hopefully I will see improvement in how long I can hold notes. Also, since I have an issue with taking short breaths, seeing if I can improve how fast I can take in air. Wish me luck! :)

A beautiful drawing my friend Tiffani drew for me.

My intro video! Please watch and keep watching and see different ways to help your playing!

In my lesson, I learned that you need to be sure to omit the right notes for breathing.