adminor just proving something to yourself or others.
Unfortunately, most musicians would not have any answer to any of these questions.
But these issues need to be dealt with so that as an artiste you can improve your performance.
A state of lack of personal satisfaction and gratification for your efforts can affect your performance.
How do you usually react to compliments people pay you after a performance?
Do you shrug them off, or you immediately say thank you?
What you may perceive as glaring mistakes or faults may mean very little to your audience.
It is important to be gracious to others compliments but its also important to be able to recognise what is good, what is valuable in your performance, and what are your strengths as a performer.
More often than not, we are only good at analysing our deficiencies and are often unable to articulate or appreciate our positive qualities.
The foundation of performance anxiety is the fear of public humiliation.
Unfortunately, in a competitive environment the festive aspect of performances can seem to disappear and one gets caught up in judging themselves and in worrying how they
may be judged.
It is so easy to forget why someone comes to hear you perform in the first place.
Believe it or not, audiences are not there to judge you, even the media. They want to hear your interpretation of music and be part of the fun.
Your fans want to be moved by your performance.
Don’t project your fears and negative thoughts onto your audience.
- Richard Kohola is a music critic and development expert and can be contacted on the following number 0772 382 871 or email
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