Performance Anxiety

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Performance Anxiety

• Eric Swisher

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What is Performance Anxiety?

• Your bodys reaction to stress (internal or
  external)
• Triggers the Fight or Flight Response
• Can range from butterflies to physically
  debilitating

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Physical Symptoms

• Muscle tension (embouchure, chest)
• Shaking (hands, knees)
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Hot or cold flashes
• Nausea
• Dry mouth
• Butterflies
• Desire to use the restroom frequently
• Rush of adrenalin

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Mental Symptoms

• Negative thoughts
• I am going to be awful
• Distraction, inability to focus on the task at
  hand
• A feeling of impending doom
• Memory lapses
• A feeling of panic

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Benefits of Anxiety

• In small to moderate amounts, anxiety can help
  you to focus
• With out some anxiety, performances can be flat
  and unemotional

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Fight or Flight

• The physiological response to a perceived threat
• Real or imagined
• Physical or mental
• Preparing to Hit it or Run away
• Prepares our bodies to do battle or flee
• Assists us when we were/are under physical attack
• Usually misplaced when applied to mental threats
• Our bodies do not know the difference between a
  tiger attack or a stressful performance

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Physical Responses to Fight or Flight

• Muscles tense
• Heart beats faster
• Blood flows to large muscles
• Sweating, becoming very hot
• Coldness in feet
• Blood leaves the extremities
• Mouth dry
• Mental alertness or loss of concentration
• Hypersensitive to sounds, sights and smells

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Fight or Flight in Performance

• Performance is not a true physical threat
• You will probably not be attacked while playing
  the trumpet
• Threat comes from your feelings
• Being evaluated
• Being under prepared
• Situations commonly created
• Overestimating chances of failure
• Overestimating the difficulty
• Overestimating the consequences of failure
• Underestimating your ability to cope

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Redefining Your Anxiety

• Many times your anxiety can be redefined as
  excitement or a challenge
• Can give you the necessary power to get through
  the performance
• Will lessen the Fight or Flight Responses
  effect on your body and mind

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Threat vs. Challenge Language

• Threat
• I cant do this
• I am going to suck
• I will never make____
• My teachers/peers will not respect me

• Challenge
• I am determined
• I am prepared to take risks
• I am in control
• This may be difficult, but I can do this
• Michael Jordan used challenge language with
  himself frequently

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The Two Parts to Your Nervous System

• Sympathetic (on)
• Fight or Flight symptoms
• Increases alertness

• Parasympathetic (off)
• Decreases Fight or Flight symptoms
• Sleep
• Deep Relaxation

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Triggering the Parasympathetic

• Done before a performance
• Make a conscious effort to breathe slower and
  deeper (abdominal breathing)
• Use breathing exercises
• In for 4 beats, hold for 7, out for 8. Repeat
  the cycle 4 times.
• Relax your mind
• Listening to music
• Reading a book
• Stretch out tight muscles

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Focus on What Matters

• Done during the performance
• Focus on musicality
• Tone
• Phrasing
• Structure of the piece
• Emotions you are trying to convey with your music
• Try not to focus on yourself or the audience,
  focus on the music

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Have Fun!

• Remember we all play the trumpet because we enjoy
  it
• Trumpet playing may seem like a chore at times,
  this is not out of the ordinary
• If this happens, pull out music that you enjoy
  playing or listen to great recordings that will
  inspire you