DingDing

When an athelete trains for the Olympics, the work is 90% physical training and 10% mental.  iIn order to WIN at the Olympics, the same athlete must use 10% physical and 90% mental concentration!  We are very similar to athletes in the fact that we must perform at our highest level, and be able to totally disregard the environment, the pressure and our own self-doubt.

IN PERFORMANCE………………….

· Backstage, or before beginning your presentation, LOOK UP!!!!
Stage fright is a feeling; therefore it is stored in kinesthetic, accessed by looking down. DON’T GO THERE!

· Internal dialogue is helpful in practice but not in performance. Here are suggestions for “conquering” internal dialogue:

1. Make a deal. In performance you will put the suggestions for improvement (self criticism) into an imaginary box in your head. After each performance you promise to “open the box” and learn from the suggestions. Warning: don’t break your part of the
bargain.

2. DO NOT ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION WITH YOURSELF WHILE IN PERFORMANCE! If left alone, an extraneous thought will pass…..like a cloud in the sky. If you engage it, you have a thundershower.

3. Practice giving “pre-performances” where you learn to not be the victim of your own internal dialogue. I recommend 10 pre-performances before every concert.

4. In practice, do not always allow yourself to go back and correct any mistakes you make. In front of the public, you can’t go back and correct something you don’t like, so why practice how to do it? Instead, make a list of problem areas and work them separately after you finish running the piece.

· Before the presentation, walk into the space and establish it as 'your territory'.  Move the harp and the bench into a position to be perfectly comfortable for you.  Practice your entrance and exit, envision yourself being outstanding.

· Practice your presentation in the clothes you will be wearing… especially the shoes. If something feels tight as you speak, for example, it will force you into kinesthetic whether you want to be there or not!

· Enter the stage as a conquering artist!  ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM are an important part of your performance.  Walk with a straigt back, chin up, a SMILE!! and confidence in your step.  This will immediately impress the audience and put you into an ideal performance headspace.

· In performance, do not try and mind read what the audience
thinks. It is really not your business…you certainly have no
control over it and it will divide your energy.

· Try and focus as much as possible. This is a tool often used in meditation. You can concentrate on something like a green dot, a member of your family (even take them on stage in your imagination, and speak or perform for them alone!), or anything that you have established as a focusing tool. This is stronger if used consistently.

· Remember to BREATHE!

· “NEXT” or “DELETE”. If you have made an error…played a wrong note, whatever - FORGET IT!! Press the “delete” key
in your memory computer and put all your attention to what is
coming up, to making the next thought extraordinarily convincing and worthwhile.

· ANCHORING.  When you give a great performance or have a wonderful experience, ANCHOR that feeling and experience into a 'bank account' of 'good vibes'.  You can access this at times when you need to increase your belief in yourself or your energy.  Get in the habit of using your anchor to put yourself into an ideal performance space.

· P = p – i Performance = Preparation – Interference    This infers two things: 1. that we have prepared as much as we possibly can.  2, that we are aware that the mind can 'sabotage' us even if we have prepared appropriately. By using the guidelines presented above, each person can learn to eliminate interference and experience the joy of performing at their highest level of excellence.

Remember above all that we are COMMUNICATORS on stage.

If we are playing or speaking or dancing with joy and passion
and love for what we believe in, that is what the audience will experience, and they will respond with joy and passion…. And appreciation for the beauty you have brought into their lives.