October 28, 2025 • 21 mins
Ever struggle with your stage confidence? Me too! We've all been there. Here are some stage confidence tips that I use.
Here's a recent episode about how I learned the repertoire faster. Click here to listen!
Today's episode has an accompanying blog post. Read it here!
Use code ELEANOR15 for 15% off your Notabl_ practice journal, and level up your focus in your sessions! Click here for your journal.
I only recommend things I love. This contains an affiliate code which means that I receive a commission -- with no extra cost to you! 😊
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Confident Musitioning
(00:02):
Podcast.
My name is Eleanor and I am aBritish American oboist studying
at the Royal Conservatory ofScotland.
Literally my dream school.
And it took me a long way to getthere.
I applied and auditioned for 12schools in three different
countries.
It was a lot of hard work.
But oh my gosh, so worth it.
(00:24):
I want you to have theconfidence to work hard in
achieving your goals.
So come with me as we go on thisjourney together.
So sit down, pull up a chair,take a seat, or if you're on the
go, welcome to the ConfidentMusitioning Podcast.
(00:46):
Hello and welcome back toanother episode of the Confident
Musitioning Podcast.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
I am really excited abouttoday's topic.
We're going to be talking aboutconfidence on stage.
We're going to be talking aboutsome tips for doing that.
And this has all kind of comeout of a recent experience I've
had on stage.
And this episode is talkingabout kind of the confidence
(01:11):
aspect of it.
I recently did an episode aboutkind of the more technical
things about it, and I will linkthat in the show notes.
But let me tell you whathappened.
So I am currently studying atthe Royal Conservatory of
Scotland, and one of the classesthat we have is performance
class.
And in performance class,basically what it is is you are
(01:33):
on like a rotating schedule, andwhen it's your turn, you perform
for the class for all of theother Woodwin students, and you
you know you prepare a piece andyou have an introduction and you
perform and then you getfeedback from not only the
teachers in the room but alsothe other students.
I think it's an amazingopportunity to kind of
(01:55):
collaborate with each other, um,give each other feedback, hear
like the other students,especially if maybe someone is
playing something you'relearning, like it's just an
amazing opportunity of a class,and so it was my turn, and I was
like, okay, I'm gonna doBenjamin Britton's Sex
Metamorphosis after Ovid, thefirst two movements, and I was
(02:18):
so excited.
Um, and then there was alast-minute switch, and I I mean
it wasn't like with like I saidokay to the switch, you know, it
wasn't just like whoop-de-doo,here's the switch.
I they asked me, is it's okay,and I said yes.
Um, but basically what thatmeant was I I ended up
performing a week earlier thanwhat I had planned, so I
(02:41):
literally lost a week of prep.
And that's a bit stressful,especially because I had just
started learning this piece, andI had really been counting on
that week.
Um, and I thought to myself, Iwas like, okay, so so I have
options.
I can either be stressed outabout this or I can see it as an
opportunity to kind of practicelearning how to learn repertoire
(03:05):
fast.
And I thought, okay, I'm gonnalike I'm gonna do a few things,
I'm gonna test things, see ifthey work.
And that is what a recentepisode that I'm gonna link down
below is all about.
I tested practice techniques,they did end up working, um, and
so I was like, you know what, Igotta share this with you.
So that's what that episode isabout, all the different kind of
practice techniques that I didto learn the repertoire fast and
(03:27):
still play it reallyconfidently.
Um, but this episode is moreabout kind of the actual
confidence on stage.
So I did all the practicing, Idid all the kind of techniques
um that I talked about in theprevious episode, and then it's
time to go on stage.
(03:47):
And I remember sitting therebefore I was actually just sat
on the floor uh in this hallway,um, and it was almost my turn,
and I was just sat there and Iwas like, okay, you know, this
is um this is what I'm gonna do,and I'm really excited about it,
(04:08):
and now it's time to employ somereally important um confidence
tactics, and that's what we'regonna go into today.
So we're gonna talk in we'regonna talk about the kind of the
confidence side of things today.
Flash fast forward, fastforward, I um I played.
I played, I think it wasprobably one of the best
(04:29):
performance classes I've everdone.
I really just put the confidencelike all on, you know what I
mean?
Like it was like seriously soeverything was so confident, um,
to the point where where I likereally played quite well.
So and and I'm really proud ofmyself for that.
So I was like, afterwards, I waslike, I need to share this with
(04:51):
you because this is what I did.
I don't gatekeep.
This is what I did, um, becauseI want you to have the most
confident performances that youcan.
Okay, here's what I did.
So the first thing is Imeditated.
I think this is so important.
I have this trick that I that Ido um in my meditation.
(05:14):
So basically, what I did was I Ilike sat on the floor and of
this of this corridor, andusually I I have like a more
quieter space, like you know,you can maybe find a corner.
I was in a corridor, so therewere people walking past, but I
just took a moment to kind offocus on my breathing, focus on
where I am in space, focus onkind of how like grounded, like
(05:39):
grounding myself, so feelinglike the parts of kind of my
body that's touching the floor,do you know what I mean?
So I was sitting on the floor,so like the my legs were
touching the floor, my feet weretouching the floor, like in you
know, um, and like I I just kindof was aware of that, do you
know what I mean?
And I was aware of my breathing,and I just kind of centered
(06:01):
myself because I thinkespecially as wind players, um,
if you are a wind player, it'svery easy to kind of get a
really high breath, kind of ashallow breath when you're
nervous.
So this is a great exercise forfor that to kind of ground my
breath, and that's what I did.
I just focused on my breath.
(06:22):
Now, in that I did a few things.
The first thing was I envisioneda younger me who was so excited
about where I am.
This is something that I love todo, and I actually started doing
it when I was um gosh, when Iwas like 17.
And when I was 17, I was in aJapanese competition.
(06:43):
Um, because I love learninglanguages, this is like a side
thing, and I was in this speechcompetition, and I had to
prepare, memorize, and perform afive-minute speech um in
Japanese.
And I remember like it was itwas like online because of
because of COVID.
So um I was kind of just in myroom and I was thinking I was I
(07:05):
was really nervous about thespeech, and and like out of the
blue, my mind said,nine-year-old you would be so
proud.
And I was like, Oh my gosh, shewould, she would, because when I
was nine, I had started kind ofstarted trying to learn
Japanese, um, and I was reallyinterested in in getting better
(07:26):
at it, and the idea that I wasyou know doing a Japanese speech
competition that I had memorizedJapanese speech, you know, that
I prepared and I'm about toperform it.
Like I think that that youngerEleanor would just be bouncing
up and down in excitement, andall of a sudden I had so much
confidence because I think kindof younger me had confidence in
(07:48):
me.
Do you know what I mean?
And so I did the same thing withthis.
I imagined myself when I waslike 14, and you know, I had
just started high school, and Iwas like, okay, I want to do
music school, but I don't reallyknow how to start, I don't
really know where to go, youknow, all of these things.
Um and and I I envisioned thatthat Eleanor and I envisioned
(08:12):
telling her today I am going toperform in a performance class,
you know, with a piece that Ihave just recently started
learning, but I employed really,really important practice
techniques so that so that youknow I learn it faster.
I'm doing this class at theRoyal Conservatory of Scotland
because yes, that is where Istudy, and I was telling her
(08:35):
that in my mind, right?
And all of a sudden I just feltmore confident, more confident,
more excited, more like, oh mygosh, this is so cool.
And that really helps me becauseinstead of just me being like,
Oh, can I do this?
Can I do this?
I really hope I do this.
I was like, that younger Eleanorhas so much kind of trust in me.
It's so interesting how thisworks.
(08:57):
But when you kind of in yourmind tell your younger self what
you're doing, I think I thinkthat younger self just gets so
excited about where you are, nomatter like how you play, just
the fact that you're you're at aconservatoire or you're you
know, wherever you are, for meit's at a conservatoire.
Um, and that was just soexciting.
I think as well, um so so okay,so that's that's the meditation
(09:21):
side, and and I did that in mymind, and I that that was really
good confidence, um, which waswhich was really good.
The second thing was I made agood introduction.
So, so I mean sometimes withperformances you have an
introduction, sometimes youdon't, so it does kind of vary,
but in this you have to do anintroduction, and so I made a
(09:41):
good introduction, and this issomething that I feel like other
people have told me that theirintroductions, like talking to
the crowd, is more stressfulthan playing.
For me, I find the opposite, Ifind that I can talk really
easily in front of crowds.
Um, but what I did was I plannedmy introduction, and I planned
(10:06):
what I was gonna do, and I Ispoke about it in a way of like,
this is what I'm gonna do, andthis is how I want you to feel,
right?
I think a lot of times it's soeasy to say, this is what I'm
gonna play, and um you know, thepiece was written in and it was
first performed when, and hopeyou enjoy.
And I mean that's that's a fineintroduction, but I found that
(10:27):
when I do introductions, I findit much easier to say something
like, Um, this is what I'mplaying, this is why I wanted to
play it, and this is what I hopeyou feel when I play it.
And all of a sudden it's less oflike around the piece, but
around the message that I'mgonna share with people in my
performance.
And when you do that, you kindof you kind of have to deliver.
(10:52):
Do you know what I mean?
When you s when you end upsaying, This is what I'm gonna
play, this is why I want to playit, this is what you're going to
hear, um, and I invite you to,you know, go on this journey
with me, or I hope that you feelthis certain way, or you know,
kind of giving them making itmore interactive, because then
when it's like that, it's lessof performer, spectator, and
(11:14):
more of together we're going onthis journey, right?
And I and I'm leading it with myinstrument, you know, with my
performance.
And when that happens, you haveto deliver, and I think that
kind of changes my mindset fromI hope I get the notes right, I
hope I don't mess up, to I hopeI share this really exciting
story with them, and then andthen you kind of things start to
(11:37):
fit in.
Do you know what I mean?
So that's the second thing, andthen the last thing, and I think
this is so kind of overlooked,but it it's so important.
My entrance.
I smiled.
I kind of it's interestingbecause for this performance I
was going on on my own.
I didn't have an accompanistbecause this piece that I'm
(11:59):
playing is just solo ovo.
Um, and I there's like a littlesection in the back of the stage
that I was just sat in or stoodin.
And before I walked on, I tooktwo seconds.
I took two seconds to do a nicedeep breath, ground myself
(12:19):
again, kind of that meditationsituation.
And I just took that those twoseconds to kind of just give
myself space and time, remindmyself that we're not rushed.
And also, this might be a bitdramatic.
Picture myself as if I'm in afilm.
You know, like those films thatthat um that you see, I mean you
(12:41):
always people see films, it'syeah, anyway, you you know films
um that like the protagonist isabout to do something, whether
that's like an athlete, youknow, about to I don't know, do
their sport or a musician aboutto perform, and you have that
shot of like the back of theirhead going on stage or going
(13:03):
into the field or the arena orwhatever, and it's like the back
of their head, and then you cansee kind of the the landscape of
what they're going to do.
And I imagined what that picturewould look like with me in that
moment, and I know that is kindof dramatic and a bit much,
maybe I don't know.
It worked for me, so maybe it'snot a bit much.
(13:24):
Um, it might feel a bit awkward,but I mean it's only awkward if
you make it awkward, you knowwhat I mean?
But my brain just went to that,and I thought, yeah, that's what
this is, you know.
Like in this moment, I am theprotagonist of my own
performance, and I'm about to goon stage.
And so I took that moment, um,my brain just pictured me as if
(13:45):
I was in a film, which honestlyI'd I appreciate.
Um, it was helpful for likeconfidence boosting.
I took those two seconds, I tooka deep breath, and then I put on
the biggest smile.
I think this is so important.
When you walk through a door,this is this is a great like
piece of advice that I try anddo.
(14:07):
When you walk through a door,smile.
No matter what door it is, evenif the door goes into a room
where no one is in it, smile.
Get into that habit because thatmeans when you go on stage, if
especially if you're nervous,your brain will just smile, like
your face will do it becauseyou're in the habit.
But I put on a huge smile and Iwalked out really confidently,
(14:27):
and starting it out like thatwas a really great way of
starting it out becauseimmediately I tell the audience
with my body language, I'm readyto do this, let's do this
together, this is going to befun, you know, like it's really
good in that way.
So that was my entrance, and Ithink if we add, I know I said
(14:50):
for that was that was my lastthing, but if we kind of add on
to that, I understood that I haddone all I could do.
There was a switch up, I didlose a week of prep.
I but but I I adjusted to thatsituation.
I did specific, you know,practice techniques that I tried
out, I did my best.
And it's like when you go onstage, it's important to
(15:12):
understand that you have doneyour best in your prep.
You have prepped, the prep isdone.
Now it's time to share that withpeople and to give it your all,
right?
Because you've done all thepractice, the practice is is
good, good job, you've donethat, right?
Now it's time to share thisthing that you've been working
on with everyone.
And I think when you think aboutit like that, less of I hope I
(15:36):
don't mess up or I hope itdoesn't go wrong, and more of I
hope people can feel what I wantthem to feel with this piece,
then that kind of changes thewhole situation.
And I walked out, I did myintroduction, walked out on
stage, I didn't leave.
I walked out on stage, I did myintroduction, I performed, and I
(15:57):
think with these confidencethings, I performed really kind
of really confidently, and Ithink I did one of the best
performance classes that I'vedone.
So I'm really grateful for that,and that's something that yeah,
I'm just so happy about.
So, in that way, um that'sthat's what I did.
Before we do a Wii recap, I wantto just tell you about something
(16:20):
that I did in my practice.
This is a little kind of Isuppose it ties in with
confidence because then you cankind of see all the work you've
done.
Because when you woke out andyou understand that you have
done your best, um, it's reallyhelpful and handy to kind of see
a written record of the practicethat you've done and the
preparation that you've done foryour performance.
(16:42):
And in order to do that, it'simportant to plan your practice
and also reflect on yourpractice.
And the tool that I use is anotable practice journal.
Honestly, notable practicejournals are so handy and so
helpful because you not only canplan your practice, but you can
also reflect on it, and fromthere you can write the things
(17:03):
that you want to work on andimprove the next day.
You know, if you say, Oh, I youknow, this thing went well, but
this thing didn't go so well, soI want to start with that, you
can write that down so you don'tforget it.
Um, a notable practice journalis also an amazing tool because
when it's time to perform, youcan flip through and see all
your sessions and be like, ohyeah, I did practice that
enough.
(17:24):
You know what I mean?
Like, oh, I have worked on that,but also you can also say, Oh,
I've noticed I've worked on thisa lot, but maybe I'm actually
lacking in these things.
So next week I want to make thatmore of a priority.
Honestly, having a plan andhaving a plan sessions can is
really really helpful for me tokind of know where I am in my
(17:46):
progress and be able to continuethat progress in a more
productive and effective way.
As soon as I realized that thisjournal was helping me out, I
knew that I needed to tell youabout it, and I knew that I
needed to give you a code forit.
So use code LNR15 for 15% offyour journal.
That is E-L-E-A-N-O-R.
Yeah, that's how you spell myname.
(18:07):
E-L-E-A-N-O-R 15 for 15% offyour journal.
And yeah, just like they're soso handy and so helpful,
especially for um planning yourpractice and knowing kind of
what you're gonna work on andwhat you already have worked on,
especially it's an amazingfeeling for right for the
(18:29):
performance, flipping throughthe journal and seeing all of
the hard work actuallydocumented that you have done.
I only recommend things that Iabsolutely love.
This code is an affiliate code,which means I do receive a
commission with no extra cost toyou.
The code will be in thedescription in the show notes,
um, as well as a link for you togo and check out the journals.
(18:51):
So yeah, they are honestly sohelpful, and it it was so
helpful for me to use one inthis process as well.
Alright, shall we do a recap?
The first thing is I meditated,and I think, I mean, I think to
people who don't meditate, thatcan feel really daunting, like
you have to, I don't know, lighta candle and put on music.
(19:11):
But honestly, it was literallyjust me in a hallway with people
walking past um for about 20seconds, it was not long, just
focusing my breath and kind ofcentering myself, grounding
myself, feeling kind of thefloor beneath me.
Um, and also imagining kind ofhow a younger me would be so
(19:33):
excited about where I am now,which I think is so important to
kind of remember.
The next thing is I made a goodintroduction and I focus less on
kind of the piece itself andmore about what I want the
audience to feel and kind of howwe're gonna go on this journey
together, which I think is Imean, that when I did that, that
also kind of helped my brain torealize okay, we're gonna show
(19:56):
them a journey rather than Ihope I don't mess up.
The last thing is the entrance.
I think this is so important.
Um, I smiled, I this might bedramatic.
Pictured myself in a film.
What would what would that looklike?
I think I mean I don't know ifit's dramatic, it gave me a huge
confidence boost.
So, you know, whatever works,works.
Um, and then I walked outconfidently, and that set the
(20:18):
stage for the performance.
And the last thing isunderstanding um that I am doing
my best and that I have done mybest, and it is now time to
share with people all the hardwork that I have done.
And a great way to document thathard work is through a Notable
Practice Journal, and the linkand the code are in the show
(20:39):
notes.
Alright?
That is about it for thisepisode.
Thank you so much for hangingout with me.
I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did, please do like,subscribe, share, comment,
follow, all the things, andshare this um episode with your
friends, your musician friends,especially the ones who may have
performances coming up.
And I will see you in the nextepisode.
(21:01):
Alright, take care, bye bye.
Hello and welcome to the Confident Musitioning
(00:02):
Podcast.
My name is Eleanor and I am aBritish American oboist studying
at the Royal Conservatory ofScotland.
Literally my dream school.
And it took me a long way to getthere.
I applied and auditioned for 12schools in three different
countries.
It was a lot of hard work.
But oh my gosh, so worth it.
(00:24):
I want you to have theconfidence to work hard in
achieving your goals.
So come with me as we go on thisjourney together.
So sit down, pull up a chair,take a seat, or if you're on the
go, welcome to the ConfidentMusitioning Podcast.
(00:46):
Hello and welcome back toanother episode of the Confident
Musitioning Podcast.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
I am really excited abouttoday's topic.
We're going to be talking aboutconfidence on stage.
We're going to be talking aboutsome tips for doing that.
And this has all kind of comeout of a recent experience I've
had on stage.
And this episode is talkingabout kind of the confidence
(01:11):
aspect of it.
I recently did an episode aboutkind of the more technical
things about it, and I will linkthat in the show notes.
But let me tell you whathappened.
So I am currently studying atthe Royal Conservatory of
Scotland, and one of the classesthat we have is performance
class.
And in performance class,basically what it is is you are
(01:33):
on like a rotating schedule, andwhen it's your turn, you perform
for the class for all of theother Woodwin students, and you
you know you prepare a piece andyou have an introduction and you
perform and then you getfeedback from not only the
teachers in the room but alsothe other students.
I think it's an amazingopportunity to kind of
(01:55):
collaborate with each other, um,give each other feedback, hear
like the other students,especially if maybe someone is
playing something you'relearning, like it's just an
amazing opportunity of a class,and so it was my turn, and I was
like, okay, I'm gonna doBenjamin Britton's Sex
Metamorphosis after Ovid, thefirst two movements, and I was
(02:18):
so excited.
Um, and then there was alast-minute switch, and I I mean
it wasn't like with like I saidokay to the switch, you know, it
wasn't just like whoop-de-doo,here's the switch.
I they asked me, is it's okay,and I said yes.
Um, but basically what thatmeant was I I ended up
performing a week earlier thanwhat I had planned, so I
(02:41):
literally lost a week of prep.
And that's a bit stressful,especially because I had just
started learning this piece, andI had really been counting on
that week.
Um, and I thought to myself, Iwas like, okay, so so I have
options.
I can either be stressed outabout this or I can see it as an
opportunity to kind of practicelearning how to learn repertoire
(03:05):
fast.
And I thought, okay, I'm gonnalike I'm gonna do a few things,
I'm gonna test things, see ifthey work.
And that is what a recentepisode that I'm gonna link down
below is all about.
I tested practice techniques,they did end up working, um, and
so I was like, you know what, Igotta share this with you.
So that's what that episode isabout, all the different kind of
practice techniques that I didto learn the repertoire fast and
(03:27):
still play it reallyconfidently.
Um, but this episode is moreabout kind of the actual
confidence on stage.
So I did all the practicing, Idid all the kind of techniques
um that I talked about in theprevious episode, and then it's
time to go on stage.
(03:47):
And I remember sitting therebefore I was actually just sat
on the floor uh in this hallway,um, and it was almost my turn,
and I was just sat there and Iwas like, okay, you know, this
is um this is what I'm gonna do,and I'm really excited about it,
(04:08):
and now it's time to employ somereally important um confidence
tactics, and that's what we'regonna go into today.
So we're gonna talk in we'regonna talk about the kind of the
confidence side of things today.
Flash fast forward, fastforward, I um I played.
I played, I think it wasprobably one of the best
(04:29):
performance classes I've everdone.
I really just put the confidencelike all on, you know what I
mean?
Like it was like seriously soeverything was so confident, um,
to the point where where I likereally played quite well.
So and and I'm really proud ofmyself for that.
So I was like, afterwards, I waslike, I need to share this with
(04:51):
you because this is what I did.
I don't gatekeep.
This is what I did, um, becauseI want you to have the most
confident performances that youcan.
Okay, here's what I did.
So the first thing is Imeditated.
I think this is so important.
I have this trick that I that Ido um in my meditation.
(05:14):
So basically, what I did was I Ilike sat on the floor and of
this of this corridor, andusually I I have like a more
quieter space, like you know,you can maybe find a corner.
I was in a corridor, so therewere people walking past, but I
just took a moment to kind offocus on my breathing, focus on
where I am in space, focus onkind of how like grounded, like
(05:39):
grounding myself, so feelinglike the parts of kind of my
body that's touching the floor,do you know what I mean?
So I was sitting on the floor,so like the my legs were
touching the floor, my feet weretouching the floor, like in you
know, um, and like I I just kindof was aware of that, do you
know what I mean?
And I was aware of my breathing,and I just kind of centered
(06:01):
myself because I thinkespecially as wind players, um,
if you are a wind player, it'svery easy to kind of get a
really high breath, kind of ashallow breath when you're
nervous.
So this is a great exercise forfor that to kind of ground my
breath, and that's what I did.
I just focused on my breath.
(06:22):
Now, in that I did a few things.
The first thing was I envisioneda younger me who was so excited
about where I am.
This is something that I love todo, and I actually started doing
it when I was um gosh, when Iwas like 17.
And when I was 17, I was in aJapanese competition.
(06:43):
Um, because I love learninglanguages, this is like a side
thing, and I was in this speechcompetition, and I had to
prepare, memorize, and perform afive-minute speech um in
Japanese.
And I remember like it was itwas like online because of
because of COVID.
So um I was kind of just in myroom and I was thinking I was I
(07:05):
was really nervous about thespeech, and and like out of the
blue, my mind said,nine-year-old you would be so
proud.
And I was like, Oh my gosh, shewould, she would, because when I
was nine, I had started kind ofstarted trying to learn
Japanese, um, and I was reallyinterested in in getting better
(07:26):
at it, and the idea that I wasyou know doing a Japanese speech
competition that I had memorizedJapanese speech, you know, that
I prepared and I'm about toperform it.
Like I think that that youngerEleanor would just be bouncing
up and down in excitement, andall of a sudden I had so much
confidence because I think kindof younger me had confidence in
(07:48):
me.
Do you know what I mean?
And so I did the same thing withthis.
I imagined myself when I waslike 14, and you know, I had
just started high school, and Iwas like, okay, I want to do
music school, but I don't reallyknow how to start, I don't
really know where to go, youknow, all of these things.
Um and and I I envisioned thatthat Eleanor and I envisioned
(08:12):
telling her today I am going toperform in a performance class,
you know, with a piece that Ihave just recently started
learning, but I employed really,really important practice
techniques so that so that youknow I learn it faster.
I'm doing this class at theRoyal Conservatory of Scotland
because yes, that is where Istudy, and I was telling her
(08:35):
that in my mind, right?
And all of a sudden I just feltmore confident, more confident,
more excited, more like, oh mygosh, this is so cool.
And that really helps me becauseinstead of just me being like,
Oh, can I do this?
Can I do this?
I really hope I do this.
I was like, that younger Eleanorhas so much kind of trust in me.
It's so interesting how thisworks.
(08:57):
But when you kind of in yourmind tell your younger self what
you're doing, I think I thinkthat younger self just gets so
excited about where you are, nomatter like how you play, just
the fact that you're you're at aconservatoire or you're you
know, wherever you are, for meit's at a conservatoire.
Um, and that was just soexciting.
I think as well, um so so okay,so that's that's the meditation
(09:21):
side, and and I did that in mymind, and I that that was really
good confidence, um, which waswhich was really good.
The second thing was I made agood introduction.
So, so I mean sometimes withperformances you have an
introduction, sometimes youdon't, so it does kind of vary,
but in this you have to do anintroduction, and so I made a
(09:41):
good introduction, and this issomething that I feel like other
people have told me that theirintroductions, like talking to
the crowd, is more stressfulthan playing.
For me, I find the opposite, Ifind that I can talk really
easily in front of crowds.
Um, but what I did was I plannedmy introduction, and I planned
(10:06):
what I was gonna do, and I Ispoke about it in a way of like,
this is what I'm gonna do, andthis is how I want you to feel,
right?
I think a lot of times it's soeasy to say, this is what I'm
gonna play, and um you know, thepiece was written in and it was
first performed when, and hopeyou enjoy.
And I mean that's that's a fineintroduction, but I found that
(10:27):
when I do introductions, I findit much easier to say something
like, Um, this is what I'mplaying, this is why I wanted to
play it, and this is what I hopeyou feel when I play it.
And all of a sudden it's less oflike around the piece, but
around the message that I'mgonna share with people in my
performance.
And when you do that, you kindof you kind of have to deliver.
(10:52):
Do you know what I mean?
When you s when you end upsaying, This is what I'm gonna
play, this is why I want to playit, this is what you're going to
hear, um, and I invite you to,you know, go on this journey
with me, or I hope that you feelthis certain way, or you know,
kind of giving them making itmore interactive, because then
when it's like that, it's lessof performer, spectator, and
(11:14):
more of together we're going onthis journey, right?
And I and I'm leading it with myinstrument, you know, with my
performance.
And when that happens, you haveto deliver, and I think that
kind of changes my mindset fromI hope I get the notes right, I
hope I don't mess up, to I hopeI share this really exciting
story with them, and then andthen you kind of things start to
(11:37):
fit in.
Do you know what I mean?
So that's the second thing, andthen the last thing, and I think
this is so kind of overlooked,but it it's so important.
My entrance.
I smiled.
I kind of it's interestingbecause for this performance I
was going on on my own.
I didn't have an accompanistbecause this piece that I'm
(11:59):
playing is just solo ovo.
Um, and I there's like a littlesection in the back of the stage
that I was just sat in or stoodin.
And before I walked on, I tooktwo seconds.
I took two seconds to do a nicedeep breath, ground myself
(12:19):
again, kind of that meditationsituation.
And I just took that those twoseconds to kind of just give
myself space and time, remindmyself that we're not rushed.
And also, this might be a bitdramatic.
Picture myself as if I'm in afilm.
You know, like those films thatthat um that you see, I mean you
(12:41):
always people see films, it'syeah, anyway, you you know films
um that like the protagonist isabout to do something, whether
that's like an athlete, youknow, about to I don't know, do
their sport or a musician aboutto perform, and you have that
shot of like the back of theirhead going on stage or going
(13:03):
into the field or the arena orwhatever, and it's like the back
of their head, and then you cansee kind of the the landscape of
what they're going to do.
And I imagined what that picturewould look like with me in that
moment, and I know that is kindof dramatic and a bit much,
maybe I don't know.
It worked for me, so maybe it'snot a bit much.
(13:24):
Um, it might feel a bit awkward,but I mean it's only awkward if
you make it awkward, you knowwhat I mean?
But my brain just went to that,and I thought, yeah, that's what
this is, you know.
Like in this moment, I am theprotagonist of my own
performance, and I'm about to goon stage.
And so I took that moment, um,my brain just pictured me as if
(13:45):
I was in a film, which honestlyI'd I appreciate.
Um, it was helpful for likeconfidence boosting.
I took those two seconds, I tooka deep breath, and then I put on
the biggest smile.
I think this is so important.
When you walk through a door,this is this is a great like
piece of advice that I try anddo.
(14:07):
When you walk through a door,smile.
No matter what door it is, evenif the door goes into a room
where no one is in it, smile.
Get into that habit because thatmeans when you go on stage, if
especially if you're nervous,your brain will just smile, like
your face will do it becauseyou're in the habit.
But I put on a huge smile and Iwalked out really confidently,
(14:27):
and starting it out like thatwas a really great way of
starting it out becauseimmediately I tell the audience
with my body language, I'm readyto do this, let's do this
together, this is going to befun, you know, like it's really
good in that way.
So that was my entrance, and Ithink if we add, I know I said
(14:50):
for that was that was my lastthing, but if we kind of add on
to that, I understood that I haddone all I could do.
There was a switch up, I didlose a week of prep.
I but but I I adjusted to thatsituation.
I did specific, you know,practice techniques that I tried
out, I did my best.
And it's like when you go onstage, it's important to
(15:12):
understand that you have doneyour best in your prep.
You have prepped, the prep isdone.
Now it's time to share that withpeople and to give it your all,
right?
Because you've done all thepractice, the practice is is
good, good job, you've donethat, right?
Now it's time to share thisthing that you've been working
on with everyone.
And I think when you think aboutit like that, less of I hope I
(15:36):
don't mess up or I hope itdoesn't go wrong, and more of I
hope people can feel what I wantthem to feel with this piece,
then that kind of changes thewhole situation.
And I walked out, I did myintroduction, walked out on
stage, I didn't leave.
I walked out on stage, I did myintroduction, I performed, and I
(15:57):
think with these confidencethings, I performed really kind
of really confidently, and Ithink I did one of the best
performance classes that I'vedone.
So I'm really grateful for that,and that's something that yeah,
I'm just so happy about.
So, in that way, um that'sthat's what I did.
Before we do a Wii recap, I wantto just tell you about something
(16:20):
that I did in my practice.
This is a little kind of Isuppose it ties in with
confidence because then you cankind of see all the work you've
done.
Because when you woke out andyou understand that you have
done your best, um, it's reallyhelpful and handy to kind of see
a written record of the practicethat you've done and the
preparation that you've done foryour performance.
(16:42):
And in order to do that, it'simportant to plan your practice
and also reflect on yourpractice.
And the tool that I use is anotable practice journal.
Honestly, notable practicejournals are so handy and so
helpful because you not only canplan your practice, but you can
also reflect on it, and fromthere you can write the things
(17:03):
that you want to work on andimprove the next day.
You know, if you say, Oh, I youknow, this thing went well, but
this thing didn't go so well, soI want to start with that, you
can write that down so you don'tforget it.
Um, a notable practice journalis also an amazing tool because
when it's time to perform, youcan flip through and see all
your sessions and be like, ohyeah, I did practice that
enough.
(17:24):
You know what I mean?
Like, oh, I have worked on that,but also you can also say, Oh,
I've noticed I've worked on thisa lot, but maybe I'm actually
lacking in these things.
So next week I want to make thatmore of a priority.
Honestly, having a plan andhaving a plan sessions can is
really really helpful for me tokind of know where I am in my
(17:46):
progress and be able to continuethat progress in a more
productive and effective way.
As soon as I realized that thisjournal was helping me out, I
knew that I needed to tell youabout it, and I knew that I
needed to give you a code forit.
So use code LNR15 for 15% offyour journal.
That is E-L-E-A-N-O-R.
Yeah, that's how you spell myname.
(18:07):
E-L-E-A-N-O-R 15 for 15% offyour journal.
And yeah, just like they're soso handy and so helpful,
especially for um planning yourpractice and knowing kind of
what you're gonna work on andwhat you already have worked on,
especially it's an amazingfeeling for right for the
(18:29):
performance, flipping throughthe journal and seeing all of
the hard work actuallydocumented that you have done.
I only recommend things that Iabsolutely love.
This code is an affiliate code,which means I do receive a
commission with no extra cost toyou.
The code will be in thedescription in the show notes,
um, as well as a link for you togo and check out the journals.
(18:51):
So yeah, they are honestly sohelpful, and it it was so
helpful for me to use one inthis process as well.
Alright, shall we do a recap?
The first thing is I meditated,and I think, I mean, I think to
people who don't meditate, thatcan feel really daunting, like
you have to, I don't know, lighta candle and put on music.
(19:11):
But honestly, it was literallyjust me in a hallway with people
walking past um for about 20seconds, it was not long, just
focusing my breath and kind ofcentering myself, grounding
myself, feeling kind of thefloor beneath me.
Um, and also imagining kind ofhow a younger me would be so
(19:33):
excited about where I am now,which I think is so important to
kind of remember.
The next thing is I made a goodintroduction and I focus less on
kind of the piece itself andmore about what I want the
audience to feel and kind of howwe're gonna go on this journey
together, which I think is Imean, that when I did that, that
also kind of helped my brain torealize okay, we're gonna show
(19:56):
them a journey rather than Ihope I don't mess up.
The last thing is the entrance.
I think this is so important.
Um, I smiled, I this might bedramatic.
Pictured myself in a film.
What would what would that looklike?
I think I mean I don't know ifit's dramatic, it gave me a huge
confidence boost.
So, you know, whatever works,works.
Um, and then I walked outconfidently, and that set the
(20:18):
stage for the performance.
And the last thing isunderstanding um that I am doing
my best and that I have done mybest, and it is now time to
share with people all the hardwork that I have done.
And a great way to document thathard work is through a Notable
Practice Journal, and the linkand the code are in the show
(20:39):
notes.
Alright?
That is about it for thisepisode.
Thank you so much for hangingout with me.
I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did, please do like,subscribe, share, comment,
follow, all the things, andshare this um episode with your
friends, your musician friends,especially the ones who may have
performances coming up.
And I will see you in the nextepisode.
(21:01):
Alright, take care, bye bye.
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