]Week #40 of the 52 Week Challenge: Analyze why you experience stage fright when you perform. Believe it or not, we are now in Week 40 of our year of challenges! One of our members suggested some guidance in handling stage fright. Surely this is an issue that has affected, or still does affect, almost every one of us who perform musically. What can we do about it?

I wish I had an all-purpose answer to give you, but I don’t, and I don’t think there is one. I am challenging you to think about specific instances that you can recall in which you have suffered from stage fright:
What kind of occasion was it?
Who were the people in the audience?
Did you know these people, or were they strangers to you?
What kind of music were you playing and was it a piece(s) you knew quite well or something you had recently learned?
Had you ever performed this music before?

It’s interesting to note how differently people respond to the question of who they are performing for. Some people say they would feel more comfortable playing for friends. Others would rather play for strangers! Perhaps some of us feel that playing for folks they know is threatening. In other words, they might make some mistakes and their friends (musician friends, especially) will judge them for it. What do you think? Would you feel more comfortable playing for a small group of people, or a really large audience? And why is that?

For those who are relatively new at performing for others, I do have a caution: If you do not have experience performing or perhaps you are new to playing the instrument, choosing to play a piece that you have just learned can be risky! Seasoned performers know from experience what kinds of issues to expect when under pressure. Less-experienced players do not. And those who are used to “the stage” realize from experience that you must know that piece very well: You know any trouble spots that have shown up when practicing, and if you have not corrected them, you can count on having them show up in your performance!

For Week 41 Challenge Stage Fright, I received suggestions concerning dealing with stage fright, how to recover from mistakes or forgetting your piece while performing.  I am now passing some pointers on to you that I received. I hope there are some that will be helpful to you.

The first items are from a reader who credits her mother for most of these wise hints:
1. If you make a mistake or your memory blips, just keep going. 99% of the people listening won’t know.
2. If you are performing, just remember that if those people out in the audience could do better, they would probably be up there instead of you.
3. A trick when you find yourself in deep water and can’t find the melody you were playing is to sustain a chord then transition to another piece you DO remember. (PS: This is more difficult to do if you are playing in an ensemble, but, if you can, you can ask your trombone player to “Take it!”)
4. My mother always said, “Just take a deep breath, and go out there and do the best you can. You might have played better yesterday or could do a better job if you had another week to work on it, but, for now, all you can do is your best. Then let it go…”
5. Preparation is key. Next is confidence. Next is guile. [Sharon says, “I love the guile part!]
6. Remember, even if you’re a soloist there is nothing wrong with using music, esp. on a Manhasset stand.
7. Last suggestion is this: if you’re a soloist, you can always slow the tempo as if you meant to do it… repeat the phrase (which is sometimes like walking back thru the doorway to remember what you went into the kitchen for) OR close your eyes, repeat the phrase, sustain a chord and ritardando a broken chord either up or down the keyboard….

I received the following from Murl Allen Sanders (Seattle). Murl is not only a great accordionist but also a professional educator/teacher, specializing in accordion:
 1. Generally speaking, people in the audience want the performer to do well.
2. If you are playing solo, people are much less likely to know you have made a mistake if you don’t react to your mistake. You can practice not reacting to your musical errors. Hard to do, but work on it daily every time you practice. Let your mistakes go by and keep playing. Tell yourself it will be better next time! Mistakes have no meaning or power unless you give them meaning or power. The only thing that matters is your personal expression of the music you play and the emotion and intellect you bring to it.
3, If you are playing with a group, people are much less likely to notice an error. Yes, the people on stage with you might notice, but they are usually willing to forgive the mistake even if they notice. They’re busy playing their parts, too!
4, ”Over prepare” for every performance. Practice your set list in order many times! And then play it again! Try playing your program for family and friends if they will listen. Play it for your teacher if possible.
5. Drop any song from your list that you are truly nervous about playing. Play only songs that you truly love to play. If you connect with the music emotionally yourself, your audience will notice and respond positively.
6. Walk onstage confidently as if you know you are going to do well.
7. Murl also adds: “Teaching non-reaction to errors is a big one and most people need some help with it. Also, “refrain from back-tracking” (going back a measure or more to repeat and correct) is a difficult issue for a lot of people. Thanks so much to these two readers for their input! I want to make one comment of my own regarding recovery from mistakes. A good knowledge of music theory can be quite helpful in emergencies. When you encounter a surprise as you play, being able to improvise with harmony or little variations in the melody can sometimes get you over the glitch. This may be what the first reader was saying in a couple of points. (Unfortunately, this might not work too well if you are playing Bach!)

Best wishes as you go into the holiday season! And remember that we are only about 3 ½ months away from NAA Convention 2022!

For further information: accordionsharon@yahoo.com