Tips for pre-performance practice

1.     Take a moment to breathe.  The most important thing is to lengthen your exhalation. Breathe in normally. Then exhale very slowly yet comfortably.  Do this 5 times. Now, you are ready to practice.

2.     Play a scale with the utmost care and attention. Make is beautiful and with a rich sound.

3.     Pick out a passage to “care for” – it should be a musical phrase.

a)    play the passage slowly (even though you’d rather play fast!) and musically.

b)   look at the music and play the passage “in your head”. Do this twice.

c)    play the passage actively twice.

d)   Close your eyes and take two deep breaths. Your brain is still assimilating so leave it alone! Just sit for about 10 seconds.

4.     Repeat step 3 with another passage. Do all the steps, even if you are impatient to play through everything!

5.     Sometime today, listen to the piece on YouTube or CD. Imagine playing the piece while watching the notes. The recorded performance should be an excellent one.

6.     Now play the whole piece through with utmost attention. Focus completely on the music. If possible, record your playing. Listen to the recording and correct/improve anything that needs polishing. Pat yourself on the back for practicing like a professional!!

7.     Pretend you are in the performance situation. Before beginning to play, breathe slowly at least once. Give yourself and your audience time to settle and focus.