This week, Candice and I watched almost 60 of our students get up in front of as many as 130 people to play memorized music in our three spring recitals. There were many incredible individual performances that I could discuss here, but I want to talk about one student’s approach which led to her successfully playing her piece.

I hope that in sharing this story, maybe you can also find ways to improve your approach to presentations or events.

Hannah, who will be a high school senior next year, has always been a great piano student. She has a wonderful demeanor with the desire to learn, improve and positively challenge herself. She’s experienced much recital success through the years and has the ability to play just about anything written for piano.

Last spring, she had her first scary recital experience because her piece was a little insecure and she was experiencing anxiety about performing it. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that the performance was not what she wanted to present.

Almost every student that has progressed to an advanced level in their teen years has had at least one difficult performance. It’s not the end of the world. In fact, those challenging experiences are what help people step up their game.

Naturally, she was temporarily disheartened. But, Hannah didn’t quit. Many people stop taking lessons after a disappointing recital experience because they fear it will happen again. After any performance, I always ask students, “what did you learn?”

Students aren’t supposed to play everything perfectly every time — that’s why their students. That expectation of perfection creates too much pressure and takes the fun out of the process. The quest for “perfect” causes anxiety and tightness which can negatively impact the quality of musical expression and your ability to connect with an audience.

Of course everyone wants to play well, but there is wisdom to be found in both the successful and the unsatisfactory presentations. In fact, if you’re focused on the journey, you’re less likely to be set back by temporary perceived failures.

Back to Hannah.

After last year’s recital she chose the most difficult piece of her piano career (“Noctuelles” by Maurice Ravel). As always, she practiced it well, memorized it with a thorough approach and played in two studio classes prior to the recital last Saturday.

However, take note of the two keys to her impressive success:

1. She participated in two studio classes before the piece was ready.

A studio class involves students playing for other students. Teachers are also present to give suggestions and encouragement. These classes are great for uncovering what needs to be done to take a piece to the next level.

Candice and I encourage everyone to take part in these opportunities because it significantly increases the chances for success. In addition, students get used to the feeling of performing in front of people which leads to decreased anxiety levels and increased expressive ability.

The thing is…many students don’t participate in the studio classes (which we call Performance Classes) because they feel like their pieces aren’t ready. They only want to play their piece for others in “finished” form. But, there’s no such thing. One can always improve the ability to express themselves musically through a piece.

Hannah played in both classes before she knew the entire piece. This allowed her to focus on improving what she performed after each class and it gave her clues about how to prepare the spots that she didn’t present.

2. In her mind she spoke with positive expectation about her performance.

This is huge! You may read this and think it’s subtle, but our thinking creates our reality.

She told me that as anxiety was welling up in her body, she said things to herself like, “I know this piece. I can’t wait to play it! I’m prepared. I am ready. I can’t wait for my turn.” Not only was she thinking positively, she was getting into the feeling of success.

When it was her time to perform, she calmly went to the piano and played the entire piece with musical expression. It was the best I’d ever heard her play.

As she reported her pre-game mental approach to me in the lesson after the recital, I immediately had flashbacks recalling what other students told me they were thinking before they went up on stage. Students who reported a focus on fears and problems had difficult performances. Those who focused on excitement, success and positive expectation had fun as they played, and the audience was drawn into their experience. I can’t think of an exception.

One more thing . . .

Hannah also told me that she was reminded about her lacrosse team as we discussed the recital. She accurately believes that they would have been a lot better this year if they adopted a new mental approach. She told me that they “played not to lose” instead of playing to win. Focus on what you want, and you will attract desired results.

This kind of stuff really makes our job fun!

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