Chances are, that sometime in your flute playing career, you are going to have to do some sort of performance. Whether it’s a ten member audience performance, or a major festival, the tips here can help you out a lot.
1. Nerves
Okay, your big solo performance is coming up faster than you can think and you’re looking forward to it, but you don’t know what you’re going to do and you’re nervous beyond belief. Whether it’s in front of a crowd of 15 or 15,000, most people do get nervous when they have to perform. Be sure to put on deodorant before you leave your house; you don’t want to be a stinky performer (even if you are at a distance from your audience) Before your performance, in the car ride over maybe, start taking very long deep breaths to relax yourself.
When you get to where you’re supposed to be, WARM UP BEFORE YOU PERFORM! This is extremely important. You don’t want to go onstage with a cold, out of tune flute, or tensed up lips. Now it’s time to play your piece. Try not to think about how many people are there, but as you’re walking onstage, don’t just look down at the ground, look at your audience, maybe even smile. Before you start to play, don’t think about the audience or what they’re thinking about you. Imagine that it’s just another one of your practice sessions and that you are the only person in the room. When you start to play, concentrate on your music; don’t let your stage-fright distract or overcome you. There is nothing worse than losing your concentration and screwing up the song that you've played a thousand other times perfectly. When you’re finished your piece (or pieces in some cases), smile, take a bow or curtsy, and walk out gracefully. And that’s it! You’re done! It’s over! There’s nothing left to worry about. Until your next performance of course…
2. Pl
aying
When people play in front of an audience, their pieces usually tend to be faster, less expressive, and generally not as good as they usually are. In any sort of competition, this can cost serious marks. To prevent this, make sure you have practised and perfected the song you are going to perform. For extra practice, play it in front of friends, family, your dog, or whoever else will listen; this will lower your chances of freezing up in front of an audience. During the big performance, be sure to concentrate on your music (even with a memorized piece, concentrate on it in your mind). Pay attention to the little details that many people tend to forget during performances such as dynamics, articulations, expressiveness, etc… In competitions, doing this will set you apart from the other competitors because they are probably just as nervous as you are.
3. Demeanor
One of the most imp
ortant things of a performer is his/her demeanor. The worst thing possible to do in any performance is to mope onto stage, not looking at your audience, play your piece, then mope off again without bowing or extending any sort of courtesy to your audience or judges. Walk on stage looking proud, like you’re enjoying being there, make eye contact with the members of your audience and maybe even smile. When you get to the spot you’re supposed to be in, put any music on the stand or make any adjustments that you need to. If you have piano accompaniment, tune your flute.
Take your time before you start to play; don’t be rushed (this can even create suspense in your audience for a greater effect). Take a nice, deep breath and start playing. If you make a mistake, KEEP ON GOING. Don’t let it ruin your performance and whatever you do, NEVER, EVER, EVER, STOP AND RESTART THE ENTIRE PIECE OR SECTION THAT YOU MADE THE MISTAKE IN. Most people won’t even realize that you made it and even if they do, it’s not that big of a deal. After you’re done playing, look at your audience, smile (even if you’ve played horribly), and take a bow or curtsy. Acting professional will make your audience think you’re professional, whether your actual performance is done well or not.
4. Be Prepared
For any performance, the most important thing is to be prepared. Make sure you know or have chosen which pieces you are supposed to play well in advance. Practise them until they are perfect and even then, practise them more. Make sure you know the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second that you have to play. Don’t be late, in fact, be early! By at least forty-five minutes to a half an hour to give you time to warm-up and relax before you have to play. If you have a tendency to sleep in, make sure you have alarm clocks set or somebody to wake you up. Being rushed can needlessly ruin your playing. Make sure your accompanist also knows the time of your performance and is early too. If your pieces are in some sort of collection, bookmark the pages so that you won’t have to flip through your music before you start playing. If you have to give copies of your music to an adjudicator, make sure you have them ready and the pages marked as well. The most important thing to remember is just to be prepared for any contingency. Being rushed and performing horribly, forgetting your music, or even missing your performance are all embarrassing scenarios that you do not want to experience.
Oh, and always remember to have fun while you’re performing. Best of Luck
1. Nerves
Okay, your big solo performance is coming up faster than you can think and you’re looking forward to it, but you don’t know what you’re going to do and you’re nervous beyond belief. Whether it’s in front of a crowd of 15 or 15,000, most people do get nervous when they have to perform. Be sure to put on deodorant before you leave your house; you don’t want to be a stinky performer (even if you are at a distance from your audience) Before your performance, in the car ride over maybe, start taking very long deep breaths to relax yourself.
When you get to where you’re supposed to be, WARM UP BEFORE YOU PERFORM! This is extremely important. You don’t want to go onstage with a cold, out of tune flute, or tensed up lips. Now it’s time to play your piece. Try not to think about how many people are there, but as you’re walking onstage, don’t just look down at the ground, look at your audience, maybe even smile. Before you start to play, don’t think about the audience or what they’re thinking about you. Imagine that it’s just another one of your practice sessions and that you are the only person in the room. When you start to play, concentrate on your music; don’t let your stage-fright distract or overcome you. There is nothing worse than losing your concentration and screwing up the song that you've played a thousand other times perfectly. When you’re finished your piece (or pieces in some cases), smile, take a bow or curtsy, and walk out gracefully. And that’s it! You’re done! It’s over! There’s nothing left to worry about. Until your next performance of course…
2. Pl
ayingWhen people play in front of an audience, their pieces usually tend to be faster, less expressive, and generally not as good as they usually are. In any sort of competition, this can cost serious marks. To prevent this, make sure you have practised and perfected the song you are going to perform. For extra practice, play it in front of friends, family, your dog, or whoever else will listen; this will lower your chances of freezing up in front of an audience. During the big performance, be sure to concentrate on your music (even with a memorized piece, concentrate on it in your mind). Pay attention to the little details that many people tend to forget during performances such as dynamics, articulations, expressiveness, etc… In competitions, doing this will set you apart from the other competitors because they are probably just as nervous as you are.
3. Demeanor
One of the most imp
ortant things of a performer is his/her demeanor. The worst thing possible to do in any performance is to mope onto stage, not looking at your audience, play your piece, then mope off again without bowing or extending any sort of courtesy to your audience or judges. Walk on stage looking proud, like you’re enjoying being there, make eye contact with the members of your audience and maybe even smile. When you get to the spot you’re supposed to be in, put any music on the stand or make any adjustments that you need to. If you have piano accompaniment, tune your flute.Take your time before you start to play; don’t be rushed (this can even create suspense in your audience for a greater effect). Take a nice, deep breath and start playing. If you make a mistake, KEEP ON GOING. Don’t let it ruin your performance and whatever you do, NEVER, EVER, EVER, STOP AND RESTART THE ENTIRE PIECE OR SECTION THAT YOU MADE THE MISTAKE IN. Most people won’t even realize that you made it and even if they do, it’s not that big of a deal. After you’re done playing, look at your audience, smile (even if you’ve played horribly), and take a bow or curtsy. Acting professional will make your audience think you’re professional, whether your actual performance is done well or not.
4. Be Prepared
For any performance, the most important thing is to be prepared. Make sure you know or have chosen which pieces you are supposed to play well in advance. Practise them until they are perfect and even then, practise them more. Make sure you know the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second that you have to play. Don’t be late, in fact, be early! By at least forty-five minutes to a half an hour to give you time to warm-up and relax before you have to play. If you have a tendency to sleep in, make sure you have alarm clocks set or somebody to wake you up. Being rushed can needlessly ruin your playing. Make sure your accompanist also knows the time of your performance and is early too. If your pieces are in some sort of collection, bookmark the pages so that you won’t have to flip through your music before you start playing. If you have to give copies of your music to an adjudicator, make sure you have them ready and the pages marked as well. The most important thing to remember is just to be prepared for any contingency. Being rushed and performing horribly, forgetting your music, or even missing your performance are all embarrassing scenarios that you do not want to experience.
Oh, and always remember to have fun while you’re performing. Best of Luck
