The value of performing music in public

The importance of playing an instrument and performing in front of people is vital for the student’s development. A future musician must know how to face with great naturalness the public, a stage, it’s also very important to master the jitters and the shaking.

This is a part of the musical learning process, although it may be hard for some students, with time results to be a gratifying experience since music besides all of the studying and technique is a scenic art that also expresses feelings and these must touch people in the public.

Stepping on a stage, mostly from a young age, makes us no strangers to all the adverse elements that at the beginning all performers must face, this is what we know as ‘stage fright’. Meaning; we must face and defeat the fear of not being up to some level musically, that we might confuse the notes, it could also happen to forget the whole thing once you’re up to perform, hands shaking… you name it. 

All these forms of fears might be defeated only performing, auditioning, doing recitals and concerts, you might feel nervous at first but then it will come the time when you’ll just go out to the stage to perform and enjoy, to do what you perfectly know how to do.

It’s totally fine if you feel nervous or frightened at first, but hey, even the biggest and on-demand musicians have their fair share of stage crisis. Jonas Kauffman a professional tenor once forgot how to sing in the middle of a performance. He had to take lessons to recover his voice and his full technique again. 

Is also very important to consider that music as a scenic art is a social activity as the City Music website says: “Music is a FUN social activity that keeps minds of all ages active. The time before a performance is filled with picking a song, practicing over and over, anticipation, nerves, and more practicing.  Some students really look forward to recitals and others dread it, but MUSIC is meant to be heard! And learning to make music is more rewarding when shared.” 

“The longest walk starts with one step”

       - Hindu proverb.

Just think about it: what’s the worst thing that could happen? Getting wrong? Don’t mind it, you’ll survive. This might be a little harsh to read but let’s be honest you’re not special, at least not for the sole fact of being a musician.

I’ll break down the above mentioned for you: being a musician doesn’t make a superior being, not you or the soloist of your section of the instrument you play. There are doctors in this world, vets, painters, waiters… Each job and occupation has its singularities and even though ours is the most beautiful one, our lives do not depend on it, neither other people’s lives. Some people make haircuts, we play music. Therefore, your integrity as a person and your value won’t depend on your profession or the size of your successes and trust this: neither your failures.

So, again: what’s the worst thing that could happen if you get wrong? Well, nothing besides having a little bad time in that only moment and situation. In this last paragraph we would like to tell you about the fear of mistakes that we all have. This isn’t always our fault since we were taught from our childhood to play over and over and repeat a section because we might fail some notes, but the most important thing is the neglected expression. This is how we become soulless automatons that thought that because of failing five notes in a section or passage of 50 notes they made the biggest ridicule of their lives and don’t realize that 45 of those notes might have been wonderful, on tune, with great sound and mostly played with passion.

“The biggest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making a mistake.”

       - Elbert Hubbard