well its not a recital to be exact but like an opening that you have to be slected for.... i wish it was for flute but its for piano...... its be bramhs A major and is pretty hard.... i get to get a fancy dress though!!!!! yeah!!!!!! and im getting my ears pirced and we're going to do my hair at a salon!!! (ive only done it once....so...) im so happy but does anybody know how to calm the nerves.... im not goingto be able to make it to the end... from my workshop tells me.....

When you feel the symptoms of nervousness coming on, ask yourself if you're really nervous. You'll say yes obviously, but then ask yourself "are my hands shaking?" (yes)"Can they be shaking any more than they are right now?" (I'm sure they can...shake them more) then relax your hands. Ask yourself if you're nervous again. If you still say yes...then ask yourself how much more nervous you could be. Could you be more nervous than this? I am sure you can. You're not really that nervous if you think about it. You could be MUCH worse off, just make yourself realize that!

-Dennis

I only have gone thru few experiences, but in my opinion, the most effective way is to accept your nerves and be extremely well prepared to play the piece(s).

Another very important thing is to be able to recover after an error. You can stop and replay at home, but not in an audition. If you do not make mistakes at home, increase the speed or just make mistakes on purpose and check you can always recover.

The public most probably will not notice those mistakes, unless they are a disaster!.. or you stop

It is NORMAL to be nervous, just like it is NORMAL to have fun at a birthday party or sad at a funeral

It is ENERGY, a good thing , you need to know how to channel it properly

Here is an article I wrote for Jupiter flutes, I hope you find it of use:

STAGE FRIGHT

- simulate the situation, perform your piece for family and friends or for you school band or music class.

- be well prepared. practice your piece very slowly and carefully, even with your pianist or other musicians.

- be calm and focused before you perform, avoid unnecessary conversation if it distracts you.

- spend time in the concert hall or performance space before you perform if possible, go out into the audience before the concert to get the audiences perspective.

- remember, if you look relaxed the audience will feel relaxed. If you smile, they will smile.

- focus on the music and nothing but the music. Do so without playing into the music stand.

- If performing from memory, pick a spot to play to, preferably projecting to the last row.

- most importantly, remember that the audience wants to have a good time, be entertained and enjoy the music. If you are worried about mistake counters (those who are keeping track of mistakes), remember that they are indeed a minority, don’t worry about them, feel sorry for them.

- If preparing to play in a recital, select music that you are comfortable with and that you enjoy performing.

- nerves tend to make the heart race, cause shortness of breath and create butterflies. If this happens to you, take the fast movements slower, remembering that the music will sound faster if the notes are clear, rhythmic and in tune.

- be careful what you eat, salty snacks should be avoided as the mouth tends to get dry when one gets a bit nervous
- Last but not least, be yourself.

>>Another very important thing is to be able to recover after an error. You can stop and replay at home, but not in an audition. If you do not make mistakes at home, increase the speed or just make mistakes on purpose and check you can always recover.
<<

This is very true. Work on troublesome sections, of course, but do it separately. Make sure that you play through the piece straight through, again and again, without stopping for anything. Do you have younger brothers or sisters? Let them run amok in the room while you play and ignore them. Really, a big part of performing is developing the ability to simply make music no matter what is going on around you. Later, when you become comfortable with performance, there is time to develop other skills (like relating to your audience, showmanship, whatever "Persona" you wish to project). But, in the beginning, there is you, your instrument, and your music.

As far as not letting mistakes get you down, sight reading lots of music helps, too. Learning how to just plug on and make music out of dissonance makes performance not seems nearly as scary.

--Judy

thanks a lot guys...... i hope that info. will help me!!!!! well i know it will becuase you guys know everything in the world..... lol!!!!!

I know how you feel. Every year my piano teacher has a recital, and everyone has to memorize their piece, I would do great if i could use my music but i can't. Be sure you know what to do if you make a mistake, that way if you do mess up no one will be able to tell. Have fun

Stage fright or nervousness was something that was an issue for me when I first started playing. Someone gave me what I consider the best advice I ever received to conquor those feelings. Simply put, refuse to be nervous until AFTER the audition or recital. Here are a few things I would do before an audition to keep myself calm. If I repeat what others have said, I apologize in advance.

- Take deep full breaths in and out. This will calm you down after 4-5 breaths.

- Take headphones and listen to OTHER music than the type of music you will be playing for the audition/recital. I truly feel that focusing too much right before a performance can cause you to think too much about that measure that gives you trouble or that difficult leap.

- Don't listen to other people auditioning/playing. It's up to the judges to decide who is the best of the day. It's up to you to go in there and play your best.

-Lastly, take those fears and force them down. Mentally tell them to go away. They will. After your recital or audition they can come up, but it won't make if you shake like a leaf for 20 minutes (happened to me XD), because your time to play will be over.

I hope something in that list will help you a little. Good luck with your recital.

<Added>

Wow last bit of advice was obviously typed in a hurry....

EDIT: -Lastly, take those fears and force them down. Mentally tell them to go away, and they will. After your recital or audition you can allow the nerves to come back, but you might sit there shaking like a leaf for 20 minutes!

Ok I feel better now. XD

It' completely normal to be nervous for any kind of performance...you just need to remember that you can do it, and keep going if you mess up. Practice and practice and practice, and then when you get perfect or near perfect just before you perform, imagine your just practicing, just don't start over if you mess up, keep going as if nothing happened!!! Good Luck!!!

i know this sounds really wired but my band teacher told me to eat a banana lolit works for me

thanks guys and a banana???? really.... ill try that.... thanks for all your answers.... i have two days left and im just a tad less nervous but ill try my best!!!

Unfortunately, the banana trick really has no scientific basis that I or anyone else have been able to establish. Supposedly the B vitamins in a banana calm your nerves, but they are present in such small amounts as to be comparable to the tryptophan in turkey (sure if you eat enough turkey, you'll get a little drowsy, but you'll have bigger problems than a little drowsiness if you do). Then there's also the potassium in bananas, which acts as a mild stimulant that peps your brain up, which would seem to counteract any calming effect the banana would have. Most likely if it works, it's the placebo effect at work. Feel free to try the banana trick if you like, but don't put all your hopes on it. It would be great if nerves were that easy to get over, but that's usually not the case. Experience and preparation (both musical and mental) are the keys, in my opinion.