Klarinet Archive - Posting 000838.txt from 2003/04

From: "Patricia A. Smith" <patricia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Performance Anxiety techniques/remedies
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:42:54 -0400

Molly wrote:
> Just my luck.......
>
> This topic comes up only DAYS after my audition for adding a music ed major
> at my current school. Boy, I really could have used some of this
> advice......
>
> Go figure.... :)
>

Molly, don't feel bad. I wish I'd known all this stuff BEFORE I learned
it all
the HARD way - by experiencing all the blown auditions, nerves so bad my
hands sweat, feeling like I was 2 micrometers tall while some conductor
screamed at me...the list goes on! At least I'm still alive to tell the
tale! There were some times that I wondered if I was going to survive,
my heart was pounding in my chest so hard! 8-O

But, survive, I did. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I feel this
topic is VERY important, and is one that needs a great deal more
discussion in lessons that it receives.

Also, and this may be a bit forward of me, but it is a very important
issue: If you are a person who suffers from performance anxiety, but
wants to change, and learn how to overcome this, but have a teacher who
doesn't want to confront it, or brushes you off with platitudes, perhaps
you need to do one of two things: 1) discuss this forthrightly with
your current teacher. Let him/her know that you feel this is hindering
you from developing as a player to the best of your ability. If your
teacher persists in dismissing this as not much of a problem, 2)you may
need to find another teacher who takes the problem seriously, and will
assist you in finding practical solutions to it.

To overcome fears, one cannot brush them aside; one must confront their
reality and deal with it. I wish all who deal with this thorny problem
the best of luck.

Patricia Smith

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