Donna Evans Piano Voice Lessons in Aliso Viejo

Performing in recitals can be stressful.  There are so many musical details to remember……..the notes, dynamics, phrasing and expression.  You also want to please your teacher, friends and family. 

To have a good recital experience, try to focus on the positive parts of performing:  think about how fun your music is to play, how much everyone in the audience will enjoy hearing it, and how proud you will feel when you are done.

But what if I get nervous?

Breathe.  Breathing relaxes your muscles and can lower your heart rate (pulse).  It also brings oxygen to your brain, which it needs to function properly.  Take a few deep breaths, slowly counting to 4 as you inhale and again to 4 as you exhale.

Visualize.  Imagine you are in a calm place, like a dream vacation spot.  Think about all the calming things about that place and pretend you are transported there for a moment to relax.

Relax muscles.  Lightly rub the back of your neck and your shoulders to help them relax a bit.  Make big circles with your arms, moving them slowly.  Slowly pull your shoulder blades close together, squeezing them gently and then let them go back to their places slowly.

Think from a spiritual point of view.  You’ve been given a very special talent that many people wish they had.  Put a higher power in charge when you perform.  You are providing the skills in the performance but they are in charge.

Enjoy making music in your performance and stay focused on how great you’ll feel afterwards!

Practice slowly.  Practicing slowly catches the details of the music.  Slow practice is like putting the music under a microscope….you see all areas for improvement and much more detail.  Taking your time helps you to learn carefully and to master the piece.  Work with your hands separately at first.

Practice without the pedal at first.  While the pedal makes everything sound better, pedaling too early makes it easy to miss details in the music.  Work to learn the notes and phrasing first and then add the pedaling and dynamics.

Take small sections.  Learn small portions of the music in the beginning.  It is tempting to learn large chunks to save time.  The problem is that taking on too much of the music can be overwhelming.  If you take tiny sections at a time and master them, you will be able to sustain productive practice much longer.

Figuring out corrections.  Fixing a mistake isn’t enough.  After you have mastered a correction, go back and connect the music ahead of and behind the corrected area.  This helps to ensure the error doesn’t recur.

Use the 80/20 Rule:  If you focus the majority of your time on the few places that are weak, you will get much better results that practicing the whole piece from beginning to end.

Regular daily practice enhances the ability to learn new materials and your musicianship.  Try setting aside a regular time of the day when life stops – for example, 7:30pm, I’m taking a break at the piano for 30 minutes.  By making practicing a part of your daily routine your skills will jump ahead and so will your enjoyment.  Have fun making music!