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  • Noa Kageyama

    Administrator
    April 19, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Hi Phoebe,

    I think at this stage of your performance “countdown,” running the piece several times a day is probably one of the more helpful things you can do (presumably, not in a row, but spread out over the day). After all, this is what you’ll have to do on performance day, so you’re practicing exactly what you’ll have to do. It might even help to make sure you practice bowing, etc., while wearing what you’ll be wearing on the day of, so that you get comfortable with some of these other aspects of your performance.

    There is a tendency to become increasingly perfectionistic in the leadup to a performance – I wonder if this is part of what you’re noticing? I also wonder if you might be trying too hard to play things perfectly? Rather than focusing on the sound you want, the character you want, the way you want to shape each phrase, etc.? In other words, I wonder if you’re focused too much on the little technical details, and perhaps not enough on the bigger picture, as it sounds like you did in your auditions?

    It may help to remind yourself that a) people will not notice nearly as many imperfections as you will (e.g. this), b) that being able to keep moving on and ignoring imperfections is job #1 in performance (e.g. this), even though that’s like the opposite of what you have to do when practicing, and c) the most important thing on stage is to focus on self-expression and creating – not self-monitoring and critiquing (e.g. as you did in your auditions, or like the “micro-improvisation” technique described here).

    Best wishes with your performance!

    Noa

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