I sat together with firstviolinblog.com to talk about public speaking anxieties / stage fright. I offered them training and at the end we had a chat (in German) about the fear of standing on stage, which is not only something musicians have to face. But everyone experiences that if they have to present something in front of a group, be it on stage or on video calls.
This is part of their transcription of our talk turning into a sort of Q&A Interview.
Hint: The feeling of stage fright will never completely go away, which is a good thing.
5 practical tips
Go out and practice, start in small settings.
Record yourself
Know your weakness and prepare for them
Breath deeply and fully
Smile in a mirror before the show.
FiVio: I have played in front thousands of people already and I am nervous each time, up to the point I start almost shaking before the show starts. How come this does not disappear?
Andy: Stage fright is normal to a degree, in fact, it is a sign that you take the task at hand seriously. I have been public speaking for years and lead teams in business and military. Still, when I have a webinar or train a group where several people listen to me, I get nervous too. I usually have to go to the toilet before I start. Instead of fearing the moment, embrace it to be part of the excitement of playing a show, making each show unique.
FiVio: Does this mean I can never overcome it?
Andy: Overcoming and disappearing are two different things. It may not disappear, but you can overcome the sensation you associate with fear. Thus, you can get more comfortable with public playing and thus, become more self-confident. This translates into you feeling less nervous.
FiVio: How would I do that as a beginner?
Andy: Well, one step at time, that is for sure. Regarding a violin performance, I propose that you play it in front of a teacher or professional first. They will give you a lot of valuable input that you take back home to practice. The next step could be to invite your family, friends, a group of other musicians, peers or even some random people you meet in a bar and ask them if you can play it to them. If you are up to it, join an orchestra and maybe even try to go busking for an hour.
Orchestras and busking are fantastic ways to overcome stage fright, by the way, busking especially. You have no time to warm up, and you are simultaneously being heard while not being listened to. Do this several times. If you really struggle even in an orchestra, maybe consider asking a ballet studio, for instance. They know the immense pressure on stage, and I am sure they will give you either a listen or have valuable tips for you. Take a class with their kids and focus on your body. This is a fantastic way to get comfortable with yourself being seen.
As you already played a lot of shows, I think you might want to focus on becoming more comfortable with yourself and hearing yourself. Maybe try recording yourself during a show to find your habits, get used to hearing and seeing yourself. I do that too.
FiVio: You record yourself?
Andy: Absolutely. It helps me to find the rhythm that I aim for. I hear where I talk to fast, where I emphasise words or phrases that I did not intend to, where I stutter or lose the topic, and I hear where I start to lose the audience. With the violin, the same applies. There is always that one section you struggle with. If you know your weakness, you can prepare for it, like, play it intentionally slower than you feel. The difference will be minimal to the audience, but you can focus on the fingering more and get through it. The first time I recorded myself playing the violin, I realised that my intonation with the fourth fingers was always off. I never realised it myself until I listened to a recording. That was a revelation. The more you record yourself and see yourself doing the thing, the more you get used to it. At some point, you can let go and accept how other see and hear you. This detachment is really important.
FiVio: I imagine. But I am really nervous when I have to step on stage next, what do I do?
Andy: My go-to approach is going to the bathroom, breathing calmly for a minute and smiling in the mirror like a mad cat for 10 seconds. Your brain realises you are smiling while seeing a smiling face, which triggers it to think: I must be happy. This calms you down a lot.
FiVio: Smiling into a mirror? Sounds a bit like voodoo to me?
Andy: *laughs. It may sound bogus, but our brain is much more primal than you might probably think. I use breathing techniques all the time for this. The sigh reflex, for instance, releases tension almost immediately and reduces feelings of anxiety. You can trigger this by breathing fully in and then taking a little additional breath on top of it and then breathing out slowly. At the end of the breath, take a natural feeling pause of about 2 seconds before you breathe in again. Repeat this about three to five times, and your anxiety level drops significantly.
Same works with smiling. Also, doing this in the bathroom is practical, as most people, I included, tend to having to go to the toilet when we are anxious. Basically, you want to empty the bladder to be ready to flee. This is also why you feel better if you go for a fast run when you are stressed. You literally run away.
At the end, we drifted off and talked about entrepreneurship.
FiVio (firstviolinblog.com) is a Blog about violin playing and sharing the love of the instrument. If you love classical music, maybe give them a visit.