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.