The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 213 The Key to Confidence on Stage (It's Not What You Think!)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Have you ever watched an incredible musician perform and thought, wow, they just have something different, something magical? Maybe it's their presence, the way they step on stage and instantly command attention, or maybe it's their consistency, how they seem to always deliver, even under the most intense pressure. If then, you've probably asked yourself, what do they know that I don't? because let's be real, these musicians aren't just born with some magical ability that the rest of us

Starting point is 00:00:35 don't have. They're not immune to nerves. They don't wake up every day just bursting with confidence, but they do have something. And today I'm going to tell you exactly what that is and how you can start using it immediately. You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast and this is episode 213. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, where we dive into the world of mindful music making, peak performance, and crafting a purpose-driven life and career. I'm your host, violinist, certified performance and life coach for musicians, and your guide to unlocking your full potential, Dr. René-Paul Gaultier. All right, I'm really excited about today's episode because we're talking about a shift. It's a simple shift, but it's a profound change

Starting point is 00:01:34 that can really transform the way that you perform. And trust me, this is something that high-level musicians know and use to their advantage every single day. If you've ever wondered what separates the best performers, the one who are very consistent, from those who struggle with inconsistency, nerves, or just feeling stuck? Well, this episode is for you. All right, so here it is. The one shift that changes everything is this. Top musicians train their nervous system for performance. Let me repeat that. The best musicians don't just practice their instrument. They practice how they perform. And this is what can change everything for you. So let's break it down and talk about why this matters. A lot of musicians think that

Starting point is 00:02:35 just practicing more is going to solve their problems. If I just play this passage 20 more times, if I just put in three more hours, if I just do what I've always done but harder, then I'm going to finally feel ready. But let's be honest. How many times have you walked into a performance knowing you've practiced, but you still feel shaky. You still feel unsure. You still feel like a different musician than you were in the practice room. Have you been there? That's because when you're under pressure, your nervous system takes over. It doesn't care how much you practiced. It cares how you trained yourself to perform under stress. And that is what elite musicians understand that most people don't. They don't just practice the notes. They practice

Starting point is 00:03:35 the performance. They don't just prepare for the music. They prepare for the pressure. They don't just hope they're going to be calm on stage. They train their brain and their body to respond that way. That's the secret. Let me tell you about one of my clients. When she first came to me, she was a fantastic violinist. Technically, no problem. She had everything she needed to succeed. But when she stepped on stage, it was a different story. It was like her body betrayed her. Her hands would shake, her bow would feel unsteady, and then she would walk off stage thinking that is not how I play like what happened so what was happening is that she was practicing hard doing all of the things she knew as hard as

Starting point is 00:04:29 she could but she wasn't training her nervous system for performance so we changed that we did mock performances but we did it the right way and if you want to know what that is will catch episode 163 of the podcast where I tell you how to do that. We did adversity training. We did mental conditioning exercises. And when she walked into her next audition, no shaking, no panic, just music. And she won the job. And this is something you can do too. You don't need to be born with magical abilities. Like I said, you just need to shift your approach. As I've said, most musicians focus their energy on practicing for accuracy. We play a passage until it's right. But high level performers don't just prepare for the music. They prepare for how they're going to

Starting point is 00:05:34 perform the music under pressure. If you've ever played something flawlessly in the practice room and it fell apart in performance, this is the challenge for you. So let's make this real for you. I want you to start thinking about how your practice can be different. And today I'm going to challenge you to try this. Step one is going to be to set up a mock performance. So at the end of your practice session today, set up a mock performance for yourself. Pretend that you're stepping on stage. Imagine the lights, imagine the audience, imagine the silence before you start. then you're going to play through a piece from start to finish. No stopping, no fixing, just like you would in real life. And before you begin, I want you to do what you would normally do

Starting point is 00:06:34 before a real performance. Maybe you're backstage warming up and tuning. Then you're going to walk up to your imaginary stage with confidence. You're going to take a deep breath and you're going to center yourself as if you're really about to perform. Then start playing. And your only job is going to be to get through it without stopping. Here's what not to do during this smock. Don't stop and fix the mistakes. Don't restart if something feels off. That's the exercise. and very important, don't mentally critique yourself while playing. So this exercise is going to reveal to you where your real weaknesses are, not just technically, but mentally as well. So don't judge yourself. Get curious. Your brain is showing you exactly where you need to train it.

Starting point is 00:07:40 And that my friends is where the magic happens. Step two is going to be to notice what happens in your body during the performance. So after you finish playing, take 30 seconds to reflect and ask yourself some questions. Look into what happened to your body. Like what happened in my body? Did my hands shake? Was my heart racing? Were my hands cold? Did my breathing change? Were my knees shaking? What was happening in your body? Then look at your focus. Where did my focus go? Did I think about technique? Did I start doubting myself? What was I telling myself as I was playing? What was the ongoing monologue if there was one? Then look at what felt different from the practice room. Did you feel tense? Did your mind race? Really take a second to tune in

Starting point is 00:08:50 to what it felt like, this performance. And instead of labeling these sensations as bad, again, get curious. This is your nervous system's honest response to pressure. And now that you can see it, you can train it. And that is step three. We're going to train your brain for performance or what I like to call adversity training. So if you only practice in calm conditions, you're training yourself to play in good conditions. And I can almost guarantee that will never happen, not in real world performance situations. So I want you to try these three levels of challenge to condition your nervous system for performance.

Starting point is 00:09:48 They used to do this with us at New World Symphony, and it was so amazing how well it prepared us for performance. So level one is going to be the distraction training. Set up your phone and record yourself. Already that alone is going to add some slight pressure. You could try a bunch of things that would distract you from your normal way of playing. You could play with a backing track. with the metronome slightly faster or slower than you usually like it.

Starting point is 00:10:19 Or you could find a live audience. And if you have a live audience, ask them to intentionally distract you while you play. Ask them to make some noise, to walk around, to try and talking to you, to drop stuff, whatever would distract you. So that's your distraction training. Level two is going to be the pressure simulation. I want you to simulate the stakes. So you're going to bring the high stakes of the performance on stage with you inside of

Starting point is 00:10:53 the practice room, your imaginary stage. And this is what we often not do while we practice. We have the low stakes, but now we're bringing these high stakes in with us. I want you to tell yourself, this is the only take. This is it. No redos. Here we go. And when you're ready, boost that one to level two by imposing unfamiliar conditions on yourself.

Starting point is 00:11:24 So if you usually play sitting down, try standing up or play in a different room or try with not enough light or an uncomfortable shirt or comfortable shoes. Whatever would shake things up, try it. finally level three is going to be the stress exposure i want you to simulate the adrenaline rush of a real performance and train your body to play through it and for this you're going to inspire yourself from the answers you got in step two whatever your body experienced during your mocks, that's what you want to train. So try to increase your heart rate before playing. You could do some jumping jacks, run up and down the stairs, run in place, hold the plank for 30 seconds,

Starting point is 00:12:20 whatever it takes, then play. Or maybe if you're a wind player, try with dry mouth or play with a bad read or play with cold hands. But be careful with this one because you really could hurt yourself. So this is your stress exposure, your adversity training. And why this works, this combination, is when your nervous system learns that it's safe to play under stress, it stops overreacting during real performances. It's going to be conditioned to play while experiencing those circumstances. Finally, step four, repeat this and watch what happens. If you do this just once a week, you're going to start to feel a shift. You're going to stop feeling like two different musicians, one in the practice room and one on stage.

Starting point is 00:13:19 You're going to build trust in yourself because you've trained under real conditions. And you're going to walk into performances knowing what to expect. No more surprises. And my pro tip for you is to keep a performance journal after each run through and write down what went well, what felt different from the practice room, and what's one adjustment you're going to make next time. Now, this is a really great starting point. And by simply trying what I just shared with you, you can start to see some real changes in your performance. But if you want to take this further and you want a structured step-by-step system to train your brain and your body for high level performances, that's exactly what we do inside the Music Mastery Experience,

Starting point is 00:14:15 my signature coaching program. Inside of MME, you don't just learn what to practice, you learn how to perform at your best under any conditions. So if you're ready to stop second-guessing yourself on stage and start performing with the confidence of a top-level musician, go to mindoverfinger.com or DM me the word MME on Instagram and let's chat and see if it's the right fit for you. So I hope this episode sparked something for you, because the truth is you're not missing some secret talent. You're just missing the right training. And once you make this shift, once you start training your performances the way you train your instrument, you're never going to look at performing the same way again. All right, that's what I have for you today.

Starting point is 00:15:17 Until next time, keep playing, keep growing, and I'll see you in the next episode. À bientôt. And there you have it. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share with your friends and colleagues. Take a screenshot, post it on social media, and tag me. I'm mind over finger everywhere. I always love hearing your favorite takeaways. And if you're ready to take your playing career to the next level,

Starting point is 00:15:55 I'd love to invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature group coaching program where we're going to dive deep into building your confidence and mastery and set you up for success and fulfillment in your life and career. You can find all the details at mindoverfinger.com. While you're there, check out the free downloads and online courses available to support your journey even further. And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter

Starting point is 00:16:25 so you never miss an update or a tool to help you thrive. Again, thank you for being here. Until next time, much love and à bientôt.

The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 213 The Key to Confidence on Stage (It's Not What You Think!)

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