How To Overcome Stage Fright - Techniques To Reduce Anxiety And Thrive in Concerts, Auditions, and Contests

by Justyna Ponulak. March 15, 2021.

Stage Fright. Should we even talk about it? After all, when we look at our fellow musicians, it seems like everyone is doing well, having no anxiety on stage or in real life. Really?

According to several studies, around 50 percent of musicians suffer from stage fright at some point in their careers. Between 20 and 70 percent of musicians admit that their music performance anxiety symptoms are severe enough to have a negative impact on their performance. If that's the case, why don't we talk about it? Why do we act as if there is nothing to talk about? I think I know why this is the case: My theory is that Stage Fright is a taboo among musicians because we believe that if we admitted that we were struggling with it, we'd be perceived as unprofessional or not good enough. My experience is that talking about struggles does not make us weak - on the contrary - it makes us grow. After all, we're in this together and we can learn from each other, unless we think no one really knows how to overcome stage fright and that everybody has to find their own way to deal with it.

Let me tell you my story.

It was a hot June day, and I was getting ready for my college violin exam. I was well prepared. I had been practicing for hours over the last few months. I knew every note of my Prokofiev concerto, warming up in my practice room. Five more minutes. It's gonna be good. Here I come! And then, standing there on stage, I felt the eyes of the music professors on me. I just wasn't comfortable. I could feel my hands shaking and my fingers freezing. How can I play if I can't control my body? I just wanted this humiliating experience to end as soon as possible so I could run away. Feeling shame and regret afterwards...Why? I love playing violin so much. Why can't I show them what I'm capable of?

After exams like this, I would go to talk about the results with my teacher, but it was always about the technical parts of my performance. Despite my struggles, I would still get very good grades, because on the outside it all sounded good and nice. Really? But why did I feel defeated and not happy? Why didn't anyone notice that something was wrong with me and that I was struggling emotionally? 

As a student I wasn't prepared to deal with the fear of being negatively evaluated, I didn't know what was going on with me, I didn't know how to prepare mentally to succeed on stage. Neither did my teachers or fellow students since no one had taught them that either.  

Perhaps I would have never known if one day I hadn't met a psychologist who told me, "You struggle with performance anxiety? I'm sorry to hear it, but you know that you can change it, right?"  "I can? How?" "Well, you can't do it in one day, but if you give me a couple of weeks, I can teach you how to do it."  

Meeting this person was a turning point and the beginning of a new chapter in my life. It was then that I learned how to overcome stage fright and be happy and fulfilled on stage. It was during this time when I learned how to deal with negative thoughts or emotions, and be more confident in life and on stage. Over the next few years, I developed the "Grow in Flow" program to share this knowledge with other musicians and performers so that they also could grow and thrive during their stage performances. 

And so I invite you today to join me on our journey to anxiety-free performances. 

Please watch my Masterclass if you want to grow in your public performance skills. In it, I'm going to discuss the following topics:

1. Why do we get stage fright?

The key to overcoming performance anxiety is understanding what causes it. Once you realize what is causing your performance anxiety, you can choose the appropriate strategy to deal with it:

• Problem 1: Inadequate preparation for performance 

• Problem 2: Intrapersonal factors 

(Personality type, upbringing, level of self-confidence, negative thoughts and inability to manage emotions, negative performance experiences, etc.)

• Problem 3: Lack of mental preparation for a stage performance

(Find out what skills every musician should learn to perform successfully on stage.)

2. Three secrets to thrive on stage

I'm going to share with you three things that you can do to radically change the way you perform on stage and prevent performance anxiety. 

• Secret #1: A "challenge state" 

(I will explain how important our inner attitude to performing on stage is and I will tell you what happens when we treat a public performance as a challenge or as a threat.)

• Secret # 2: Techniques that address your individual challenges 

(I'll teach you one of the best relaxation exercises that helps release muscle tension within seconds.)

• Secret # 3: Visualization techniques to get ready for public performance 

(I'll teach you a very useful and effective "stage performance" visualization technique that's one of the most efficient techniques used by elite athletes and professional performers.)

If you would like to use the special discount for the "Grow in Flow" online course, please click here:

BIO

Justyna Ponulak is the founder of the "Grow in Flow" program and online course that helps musicians and other performers overcome stage fright and reach their full potential on stage. 

Understanding the causes and trigger points of anxiety, and being able to relate it to musical performance is a skill that only a qualified professional and accomplished musician can deliver, and Justyna has experience in both areas. Combining extensive research in the field of music psychology and a master's degree in violin performance, with over 20 years of professional experience as a classical instrumentalist performing throughout Europe, Justyna is highly skilled in the area of performance anxiety that is a big challenge for many artists. She is passionate about sharing knowledge and helping musicians develop emotional intelligence and public performance skills to provide them with the best possible conditions for personal development and success in life and on stage.

Currently, Justyna lives in San Diego where she is developing the Playemo platform helping music educators become more successful and fulfilled as teachers while helping students learn better and providing them with a set of tools to develop the musical, mental, and emotional skills necessary for a successful public performance.

Website: www.GrowInFlowPerformance.com

Instagram: @growinflowperformance

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrowinFlowPerformance

You can contact Justyna directly at contact@growinflowperformance.com