How to Prepare for a Performance

You have a performance lined up, and you’re rearing to get started. Congratulations! Performing can be an intimidating idea, but there are ways to structure your practice in a way that prepares you, most effectively, for that time.

Key Takeaways

• Overall goal: Consistency!
• Brings further meaning to playing
• Creating and recognizing checkpoints

 

Approaching the Music

Perhaps the biggest change to your practice when preparing for a performance is shifting how you approach your music. When performing, you want the dedication you have poured into your instrument to shine, and you want to eliminate missteps. So how do we do this? Consistency! Practicing for consistency helps you know for a fact that you will nail your performance.

How do you practice for consistency? Ask yourself: "Am I doing the same thing every single time? Am I feeling the same feelings every time?" When you can answer yes every time, you've achieved consistency.

A good way to practice for consistency is to take 5 pennies (or any other small object). Every time you play the chunk correctly, move one penny over. However, if you mess up, you must move all the pennies back and begin again. Practicing this way encourages you to not aim for perfection once, but every time you pick up your instrument.

Creating Checkpoints

Now that we know consistency is our overarching goal and we have a method for practicing it, let's talk about how to make your music manageable in your head.

Performing is a mental game - being able to control and follow through your mental checklist without giving in to the pressure of outside stimulus is the key to success. But what is a mental checklist?

Simply put, a mental checklist is a way to prioritize different areas of focus at any given point in your music and performance. A mental checklist gives you a structured way to think about and execute your music. It can help you battle common mistakes and helps you ensure consistency.

You can make checkpoints while practicing your music. Start with choosing a section of music to focus on. This can be an individual measure to a longer passage. If you’re using the penny practice method, this is a great time to notice what mistakes you consistently make. These are your “tendencies”, and simply acknowledging that you are likely to make these mistakes can help eliminate them. Other times, you’ll have to further break down these passages and learn how to approach it mentally in order to correct the tendency. Your checkpoint then becomes a rapid list of thoughts or sensations that assure you’ll execute your music perfectly every time!

Headspace

If you are able to execute your music consistently with the use of your mental checklist, you are well on your way to being fully prepared for your performance. Perhaps one of the last concerns is: How will you react in the face of a crowd?

The good news is you can prepare for the rush of emotions you will experience when facing a crowd. Developing a ‘performance mindset’ when you play is one of the most helpful things you can do.

This can happen a few different ways. For starters, you can develop the mindset that your performance shouldn’t look any different from your practice. If you are practicing for consistency both in your music and how you want to perform in front of an audience the transition to a live audience will be smoother. Another great way to develop this mindset is to imagine how you will feel in front of a crowd. Your heart rate may pick up and adrenaline may spike. Being able to obtain this feeling while practicing will familiarize you with playing with these feelings before you perform.

Bottom Line

Walking into a performance with the knowledge that you have prepared to the best of your ability can take much of the fear out of the act. Being prepared allows you to enjoy the performance and extract the reaction you are looking for from the crowd.

 

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