Easing your nerves-tip #9

Hey everyone!!

Let's cut right down to business today:  Easing your tips before a recital, tip #9 (out of 10):  BREATHE.  Breathe before the performance, during the performance, and after!!!! 

I'm guilty of this:  while I'm playing, I realize after awhile that I actually "forget" to breathe.  It makes me so uptight which ultimately comes out in my playing. 

While you're waiting your turn to go up, breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth.  If your heart's racing, this will slow it down.  Inhallleeeeee.....Exhaaaalllleee!!!  






Remember what I always say: you must be as relaxed as possible while playing.  This means at home while practicing and during performance pieces.  The more your body is tense, the more your playing will sound that exact same way: "tense."





















Til next time
~Givi Girl

Easing your nerves-tip #8

For those of you who haven't seen on Facebook, I got a new puppy!!!!! A little puppy pug, who I named Otis.  I already have a "Milo," so I always wanted to get him an "Otis" for the complete package!  (For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the movie "Adventures of Milo and Otis."  Order it on demand if you haven't seen it, because it is the best move ever!!!)

It was a bit spur of the moment...but he was the last of the litter and he needed to find a home.  My class every Tuesday is a "hybrid course," (only show up every other week), and it happened to be an off week.  The drive was 3.47 hours away (and easily 8 hours round trip with the stops and such), but man was it worth it.  My friend, Jimmy, was nice enough to accompany me on the journey since he was off work.

 Otis was waiting for me in the middle of nowheresvilla, PA..  Beautiful place, but seriously, in the middle of nowhere.  More specifically, it was around 45 minutes from Harrisburg, in a very, very, Amish area.  In fact, his owners were Amish, which I had no idea about.  Aren't Amish people supposed to not use electricity?  How were they texting me, and how did I find out about them online in the first place?  Either way, it was interesting to get a glimpse of their lifestyle.  When Jimmy and I got there, we saw the horse carriage parked in the garage.  There were several puppies of different breeds outside in cages.  An Amish lady came out and led us into her home.  When we walked into their log cabin home and it was pitch dark.  No lights anywhere.  Their entire family was eating dinner in silence.  I never realized Amish people had an accent.  It was difficult to understand what they were saying!  Then, in comes Otis!  He was a wobbly little thing.  Extremely cute.  I asked to meet his parents.  I felt terrible for ripping him apart from his mommy.  I promised her I'd take good care of him and I intend to keep that promise!

Honestly though, the potty training is a little rough.  I'm trying to teach him how to use a puppy pad and he just doesn't get it.  Any suggestions??

Otis saying bye to his mommy.  Or should I say his "birth mommy" (since I'm his new mommy! lol)

The beautiful view from where Otis was born.

On the journey home in the car

Getting some much needed rest after a long journey home.

Making a new friend-my sweet student, Amelia!!!! (She even wore her pug shirt for Otis!!)

Otis making friends with my student, Nathan's mom.  Look how happy he looks!

I could obsess over Otis all day, but we better get started.  Easing your nerves before a recital tip #8:

Realize that the majority of the audience likely won't even know if you make a mistake.

Let's think about who the audience is for a typical recital.  Perhaps a bunch of parents, siblings, and grandparents.  If you play a piece, do you think they will really know if a note is "out of tune" or not?  Or perhaps, do you think they will know if you accidentally skip a line in the music, per say, or skip a note?

The answer is:  Some will, but most will not. 

These people are just happy to be there to enjoy some music and watch their own family member/friend.  They realize they are not at a professional symphony concert!  Just try to keep in mind that while your expectations of yourself should be high, they still should be reasonable.  If you mess up, it's really not that big of a deal.  The sun will still set and rise...and all will be OK!  Sure, if you're playing a familiar tune that everybody knows, that increases the likelihood of them knowing if or when you play a wrong note.  However, if you're playing some classical piece that they may have heard once in their life, odds are, you're in the safe zone.



Til next time
~Givi Girl

Taking a quick break from the tips for this...

I figured I'd lighten the mood with the "easing your nerves" tips for a day. They will continue in the near future though.  Definitely by the time this weekend is over, they will come back on track. 

A student of mine actually sent me this link. I loved it!!!!! Of course he's an amazing player...and extremely on "que"...but I just can't help but point out the fact that he has way too much time on his hands. Maybe I'm a bit jealous, but come on? Do you have any idea how long it would take to remember each little sound for whatever Mario gets himself into. On the other hand...he could've very well grew up playing lots of video games (in between practice his violin) so memorizing the sounds wasn't so hard. It requires a lot of detail and quick thinking,  so I definitely respect his talent and punctuality. 

I also like how this video exposes the fact that music is everywhere, and a lot of times we don't even really notice that!

It also shows that you can have fun with your instrument...it doesn't have to be so serious all the time. After all, at the end of the day...it's music.  Music is a pleasure, and sometimes we can all get so caught up in the exercises and strict routines that we forget about that.  Notice I said "we," because it's myself included!  

Whoever this guy is, i thoroughly enjoyed this video and I hope you do too! Get your popcorn out and have fun!!!


 Til next time
~Givi Girl

Easing your nerves before a recital-Tip #7

Heyyyy from sweet and loyal readers!!

Got three new students this week, and that is so exciting!!!!!! I know I've said this before, but I just love getting new students.  They all have so much potential...but then again, EVERYONE has potential if they apply themselves. New students are also so sweet and enthusiastic. I hope their novelty NEVER runs out!  LoL!!!

As far as my weekend goes...going to good ol' Weirton, West Virginia tomorrow to see my eight students there. Then, I'm teaching a quick lesson back home (Pittsburgh), THEN rehearsing with my fellow musician friends, and then going to see the Pittsburgh Symphony perform!!!!!!!! As described by the PSO website, here is what I'll be attending tomorrow:

 "Manfred Honeck leads the PSO in a celebration of Pittsburgh composers.  Five composers representing different Pittsburgh universities contribute a movement to the world premiere of this five-part PSO commission inspired by archaic elements such as earth, water, air, fire, and metal. NASA video footage of the planets accompanies this performance of The Planets.  From bellicose Mars to mystical Neptune, Holst's iconic musical portrayal of the planets and their astrological significance has delighted audiences with its richly-colored orchestration and memorable melodies." 

 I must say that I'm disappointed in my dad.  He WORKS for NASA and didn't really want to go.  It's not like he said "I don't want to go," but when I told him about it (multiple times,) he didn't say "no" but didn't say "yes."  Aka, he wasn't overly enthusiastic.  I DO get that I tend to care about music-related things more than others, but come on...that's right up his alley!  And there is VIDEO FOOTAGE while the orchestra plays in the background.   Whatever.  His loss.  (And no, he won't read this, because to my knowledge he doesn't read my blog.  He doesn't have any type of social media account either.  At least, not that I know of.) 

 Moving on....what tip number are we on?  7 I believe? Let's hope so!  Remember, there will be 10 "easing your nerves before a recital" tips altogether!!!


 Tip #7:  View those nerves as "adrenaline."  In fact, replace it with that word.
 





Let's substitute playing your instrument in front of people to bungee jumping off a bridge.  Just hear me out, OK?

 You've been scared to bungee jump your entire life, even though you've always wanted to accomplish the task.  You finally get enough guts to sign up to jump off  the bridge; the bridge that has been waiting for you day in and day out for years.  Your ankles get tied up....the adrenaline is at it's all time peak.   You're sweating bullets.  You're regretting this horrible decision.  "WHAT WAS I THINKING???" you ask yourself. You're shaking. It's safe to say you're in total panic mode, and on top of that, you are in front of a ton of people watching you panic. Talk about humiliating.  You're so scared....but you're so close.....oh so close....yet so far....literally.  The bridge never looked half as scary as now.  Everything down below looks microscopic.  "It's too late to back out now without looking like a total wimp...but at this point I'm willing to chicken out.....I want my mommy."  That's what your mind is saying, but deep down...and I'm talking DEEP, DEEP down, your heart wants this.  You've waited so long for this moment.  You've worked so hard to get to this point. And.........as if your body had been taken over....you jump.  You're off the bridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!  IT'S SCARY!  IT'S FUN!  IT'S CRAZY!  (note: IT'S 500 OTHER EMOTIONS THAT I CAN'T SAY BECAUSE I'VE NEVER BUNGEE JUMPED IN MY LIFE!)  IT'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!  What an adrenaline rush!!!!!!!!!  

And, like that, it's over!  YOU HAVE SURVIVED.  You cannot believe your feet are on the ground.   You feel like the most accomplished person on the planet...and that...is a good feeling. 

After any sort of adrenaline rush, your body feels a "type of way."  I can't speak for everyone...but I'll speak for myself and hopefully you'll understand what I mean.  I'm no daredevil by any means...but I do know what it's like to be super afraid of doing something and then completing it.  I physically feel more relaxed than ever...and it's an amazing feeling.  Like I'm light as a feather, or something, (too bad that feeling doesn't last long...esp after I eat.  Ugh....I love food, I wish it just loved me a bit more. Ok, back to my point.) 


People don't associate the word "adrenaline" as a bad thing.  In fact, a little adrenaline is actually good for you.   It will make you focus, and feel like you are in your own world and everything else around you is still. After the rush is over, you feel so...good.  I don't know what other way to describe it. 


 ***And for the record, let's be real:  what's scarier, playing in a recital or bungee jumping??? That could be a tip in itself, but I'll throw it in this one.  Before freaking out about a recital...remind yourself...it's a RECITAL.  IT'S NOT BUNGEE JUMPING.  By any means!***


Have a good weekend everyone.  I can almost guarantee no post for tomorrow since I already told you how chaotic my day will be.  I'll shoot for Sunday, though. 


Til next time
 ~Givi Girl

Easing your nerves-Tip #6

We are on tip #6 out of 10 for our "Easing your nerves before a recital" tips week!







This entry is very quite simple:  Before a performance, visualize yourself doing well. 

Before you're about to play, just envision yourself playing beautifully! It's simple as that.  You can use this before an exam too...visualize yourself going through each question easily.  It really works!!

Don't mean to make this entry short...but I have a ton of homework to do and it takes even longer on "Bachelor" nights!!!!!!!!!


Til next time
~Givi Girl

Easing your nerves: Tip #5

 Had three lessons today...each student was in the 5-6 range.  Man they're cute. 

Another student comes at 6:30 so I'll just jump right into it today.  So far, I think this will be the most helpful if you are one of those victims of stage fright! 




Easing your nerves: Tip #5- Stop with the "what-if's!!!!!!!!"

"What if I play a wrong note?"

"What if the audience thinks I sound bad?"

"What if I lose my place in the music?"

"What if I drop my violin?"

"What if an alien abduction happens in the middle of my performance?" 

I SAID STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   



Your mind is only controlled by YOU!! Be strong minded.  Any time those silly "what-if" thoughts start creeping into your brain...refuse to let them in.  Just fight yourself until you forget about it. 

"What-if" questions are 99% bad....at least in my personal experience.  They have the ability to absolutely torment you, thus affecting your performance negatively.  Therefore, get rid of them!!!!!!!! If you have any sort of stage fright symptoms before playing in front of people, it's best you don't let any "what-if" scenarios enter your mind. 




Til next time
~Givi Girl

Easing your nerves: Tip #4

 Hello all!

Normally yesterday I would do my daily routine which entails going to school in the evening.  Well, the heavens above responded to my request for it to be cancelled.  Originally I was planning on getting caught up on life...which I did at first...then I decided to go to the gun range.  It was my first time shooting a gun!!! I've always been pretty scared to be around guns, and it was pretty fun to get over that fear.  Ok, not "get over" it, but at least conquer it somehow.  Shooting a gun has been on my bucket list, and now I can scratch that off.  What should I do next?  Getting a pug has been on my bucket list...and my heart wants one NOW, but my mind is telling me to wait.  I am so busy, I'm not sure I have the time to take care of a pug.  However, I'm the type of person that when something is in my mind, I don't like to sit around and wait for it to happen.  I like to make it happen. Mostly because I'm impatient.  That's definitely a trait in my family that we all lack.  Well, except for Jerome...my youngest brother.  Incase you need to match a name to a face, here he is: 

Not only is he patient, he's the nicest kid in the world.  He also is a superb pianist, the captain of his HS soccer team, and a high honors student.  Great kid!  


I've been busy stressing out (I mean figuring out) where my recital venue will be this year.  It seems like hit and miss.  All of the places I like are either too expensive,  unavailable, or too far away.  To be honest, I lose money out of my own pocket on recital days.  I really want that day to be special for my students, so I hire various musicians to join us.  Well, they aren't cheap. Last year I charged a recital fee, but after all was said and done (venue costs, film crew, musicians, food, awards, photos, etc.)  I was still easily out $200 or so.  This year I'd be thrilled if I could at least break even, so I'm trying to find somewhere to make that possible.  However, this day is for my students, not me, so if I end up spending some money, well....so be it. 

Ok...enough chatting...let's get down to business:

Your tip #4 for conquering nerves is to perform more often!!!!!

The more you perform, the more you'll get used to it.
 
Every couple of months, I provide performance opportunities to my students. 

Anything could seem scary and impossible at first, and performing in front of people is no exception!

Take advantage of the situation if you are given the chance to play in front of people.  Even if you start off as small as performing for guests in your house (See "Throw a private recital" blog entry), that will still help.  

 If you do this, I can promise you that performing will go from very scary to enjoyable!  

 

Church festival

Formal recital

 




 

Nursing home recital

Til next time
~Givi Girl