Performance Psychology

Performance psychology is a very interesting field and important topic for performers of all sorts (musicians, athletes, public speakers, etc). There are many approaches to building and maintaining confidence under pressure. Here are a few of my thoughts on preparing for a successful performance:

• It may seem obvious, but keep in mind when practicing that you are preparing for a performance (especially if the date is already set). If we forget or completely dismiss the performance aspect and forget to plan accordingly, the performance comes as a shock. We can and should look forward to the performance (anticipation) and prepare for it in a methodical manner. This includes creating specific goals (e.g. memorize this 2 page piece in the next two weeks) and a timeline for achieving them (memorize 1 line per day), and objectively evaluating the status of the piece ("how close to ready am I for the performance, and what do I have to improve?"). 
• When a piece is learned, we do need to balance practice (problem-solving, addressing specific issues, slow work, hands separate, rhythmic exercises, metronome) and performance (playing through, non-stop, in full tempo) during our at-home practice sessions. Be aware that playing through repeatedly from beginning to end (as many students like to do) will not improve the performance. Nor does it count as practice. The ratio of practicing to playing should be about 4:1, both in time and repetitions. In addition, playing through should be followed by an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the performance (thus, recording and listening back... or asking the audience for their feedback... is extremely helpful). 
• Keep it in perspective: performances are not life and death situations. We want to do our best, and we should make every effort to do so, but the reality is that mistakes happen to every performer, at every performance (yes, even the stars). We do have to learn to recover quickly (very important) and keep going. Performances sometimes are humbling experiences - but less because of audience judgement (audiences have great sympathy for performances, especially for students!) and more because of self-judgement/ego/pride. A mistake does not mean we are a bad person, bad pianist, etc. It means we are human. We learn from our mistakes and challenges and aspire to make the next performance better. The journey is endless! 
  
• The venue/occasion can and will impact the level of comfort or anxiety. When we practice at home, we are relaxed. When we play in a lesson, we may feel nervous and make some mistakes. When we play a new piece in front of others (family and friends, or recital) we may feel even more so, and the degree may depend on our level of comfort with the piece (and how long we have been playing it), recent success or challenges in playing/practicing it at home, past performance experiences, and the importance of the performance occasion. 
• We need to remind ourself that we are worthy of a good performance, and that we have done the work. We can repeat this mantra in the hours and minutes before the performance. Leading up to a performance we experience a flood of negative and paralyzing thoughts; that we have not practiced enough, that we will be judged, or that we will get stuck if we mess up. This is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as by thinking about it we lose our confidence. One of my favorite musicians, Brian Ganz, says that he tells these voices "thanks for sharing" and then focuses on the positive thoughts and energy that is crucial to a successful performance.
  
• Some things that seem basic are very important to take note of in practice: what notes do I begin on and in which octave? This seems obvious when we do it at home, but in a performance, we may look at the keyboard and blank. If we have mentally prepared for this (oh, the RH starts on the D 2 octaves above middle C, with the 5th finger) we have a better foundation to begin. :)
• It's very useful to practice the music away from the piano. E.g. Sit in bed (or in chair, at desk, etc) with eyes closed. Do NOT move fingers. Try to imagine the entire piece from beginning to end. This is an excellent memory test, and quite hard (usually, if the memory is weak, at some point we will get stuck). Pull out the music, look at the spot that was a challenge, then do it again...