CALMING THE STORM OF PERFORMANCE JITTERS

by Linda McCloud-Bondoc

We all know the feeling—the knot in your stomach, the band tightening around your head, the tightness in your jaw. The symptoms might differ from person to person, but the source is the same: performance jitters. And when they hit, you can feel like you’re in the middle of a storm, carried away on waves of anxiety.  And while we can’t expect to get rid of jitters altogether, it is possible to learn to play through them by learning strategies to use not only on performance day but also days and even weeks before the performance. So says Sonia Poon, the highly accomplished pianist, piano teacher, and owner of Forte Music Studio who presented a workshop on Handling Performance Jitters at the 2024 Alberta Piano Teachers’ Association (APTA) festival.

In her presentation, the first, and perhaps most important strategy Sonia talked about is really just a mind shift, and is something you can start doing weeks before your performance. “Develop the habit of thinking of sharing your music rather than performing it,” she says. “The audience, especially the ones at APTA, enjoy music, and have come to hear you share yours.” In other words, they are not there to criticize, she says, no matter how much that little voice in our heads tells us otherwise. 

Once you are in the right frame of mind, there are some practical steps you can take well before performance day to help calm the storm. Ask yourself: where are the trouble spots? Is it memory, or fingering, or tempo? Is it my left hand? My right? Where do I always stumble? And for those places, have a plan B. “Everyone makes mistakes,” Sonia says, “but it’s a lot easier to control nerves if you know how you are going to deal with the trouble areas.” She recommends slow practice of those spots and then making a plan to get back in if you do get lost. “Also helpful is memorizing slowly,” she says, “Practicing hands alone might seem like a step backwards, but it is also a good check to see if  your hands are independently confident.” 

However, a plan is no good unless you implement it, so once you know those trouble spots, it’s time to deal with them in practice. The week before the performance, for instance, Sonia suggests recording your piece  then identifying 3 things that you really liked as well as the parts you’re still having trouble with. Give the trouble spots some extra love, she says, but don’t forget to take some satisfaction in what you are doing right. And she says it’s  also  important to practice in the way you want to perform. “When you make a mistake in practice, don’t stop and  fix it,” Sonia says. “Play through the spot with variations, or play more slowly. You can even practice with your eyes closed, but don’t stop. Practicing without stopping is a different mentality, which is especially difficult for perfectionists.” Along with your plan to get back in at  those spots, this kind of practice will help you to keep going during your performance. 

Calming the storm of nerves also means considering your physical needs well before the performance. “Think about what you’re going to wear and dress in layers,” Sonia suggests. “You never know how hot or cold the performance room will  be.” She also suggests that those playing piano warm their  hands under hot water or with hand warmers  to make sure they  are loose and ready to play. “If you’re a vocalist,” she adds, “do a bit of scouting ahead of time to see where you can go to do vocal warm ups.” She also recommends scouting out the route to the venue, so if you take a wrong turn or run into traffic, you won’t be rushing, which is a surefire way to trigger a bout of nerves. 

In fact, scouting ahead of time is a great strategy for all aspects of the performance. “Part of what causes nerves is facing the unknown,” Sonia says. “Create a checklist of all the things that make you nervous. Maybe it’s playing on an unfamiliar instrument, or having to walk up on stage. Then,  familiarize yourself with as many of these unknowns as possible.” This means taking time to practice at homeapproaching the instrument, smiling, bowing and taking a deep slow breath  —all the ‘new’ things you will have to do on performance day. “We don’t take these things into consideration in normal practice, so doing them all of a sudden can feel foreign,” she says. Practicing them helps you to stay calm by normalizing them. 

So, you’ve done your practice and have a plan B for the trouble spots. You’ve gone through your checklist and scouted out the performance space and now, the day of the performance has arrived. Even then, Sonia says, there are strategies that will help you control your jitters. The first is to just ‘relax’. I know, I know—it’s easier said than done, but some time spent deep breathing, visualizing a successful performance, and doing anything else that you find relaxing is a good way to spend the day of your performance. This can include practicing  your piece, she says, but if you do, do it once or twice s-l-o-w-l-y. This is not the time for a full practice or a fast play-through, but for slow, accurate practice. And it’s also the time for a walk around the block or any other kind of physical activity that will help you work off some of that  excess nervous energy.

When  you arrive at the venue the best strategy, Sonia advises, is—again—to just BREATHE, deeply and slowly. Deep breathing, especially as the time draws closer,  sends a message to your body that says, “it’s all ok, you can relax.” Now is also the time to check anything else you can off your list of unknowns.  If you’re a pianist, try the instrument if you can—try the pedals and check the bench. Does it go up and down by hand or does it have a hydraulic lift? If you’re singing, check the microphone set up. How tight is the boom release, etc. And if you have to play on an unfamiliar instrument, anticipate a different sound, a different feel. “If you need to adjust your touch or if your dynamics aren’t what you planned, that’s OK,” she says. The important thing, Sonja suggests, is being prepared,

Then, in the real-time moment, take the time to get settled and breathe again. If you are a pianist, you can find your starting notes on the keyboard with your eyes and then float your hands into position, she suggests. “Think about what sound you want to create, or how your favourite passage or chord feels. Don’t worry about all the specifics you have been practicing. . Trust that you did the hard work and focus on the feel of the music.” This focus on the music rather than on the audience again, signals the body that all is well and there is no need to be nervous. 

When the performance is finished, Sonia  recommends taking time  to celebrate your achievement. “This is not the end of the journey, but a step  towards other successful performances, so go out to dinner or give yourself a treat.” And when you DO review your performance (who can resist this?) whether by memory or from a video, it’s crucial for confidence-building to focus on what went RIGHT as well. “Sharing is important, but it’s not the end goal. Growing as a musician is.”

Will all of these tips and tricks help you to completely calm the storm of pre-performance jitters? Not likely, especially when public performers like Barbara Striesand, Beyonce, and Adele, all admit to experiencing anxiety, even after years of performing. But thinking about strategies to reduce jitters and implementing them as you get closer to performance time makes it more likely you will be able to calm that anxious energy enough to give an outstanding performance. “The bottom line is that we are all learning to share our music through our jitters,” Sonja says. “And it’s important to remember that those butterflies are just a sign that we care to share our music in the best way possible.”