I Get So Nervous When I Play For Performances?

Question:I go to a School of the Performaning Arts
So naturally, I perform. ALOT
I always feel fine the entire time before, during and after the performance
My only nervous habit:
Is shaking almost violently when I use a pedal on the piano.
I've tried to use different types of pedaling techniques
And people always say they never notice my legs
But it's so distracting to me
That sometimes I have to stop pedaling
Which could essentially ruin some pieces.
Next school year, I'm going to the High School of the Arts
Where I'm going to start having to play for scholarships.
What on earth can I do, because I can't get into any school
If something as simple as my pedaling affects my performances.

p.s. I've played in some twenty-five concerts, and this has occured everytime

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I go to a School of the Performaning Arts
So naturally, I perform. ALOT
I always feel fine the entire time before, during and after the performance
My only nervous habit:
Is shaking almost violently when I use a pedal on the piano.
I've tried to use different types of pedaling techniques
And people always say they never notice my legs
But it's so distracting to me
That sometimes I have to stop pedaling
Which could essentially ruin some pieces.
Next school year, I'm going to the High School of the Arts
Where I'm going to start having to play for scholarships.
What on earth can I do, because I can't get into any school
If something as simple as my pedaling affects my performances.

p.s. I've played in some twenty-five concerts, and this has occured everytime

Chinese cowboy up there claims that positive visualization doesn't work. My studies of nervousness have included test anxiety, fear of flying, math anxiety, speech anxiety, as well as performance anxiety, and I've taught many classes in the subject. Cowboy is WRONG, visualization does help in many cases.

In yours, however, it won't. That's because there's more than one type of nervousness, and yours is physical, not mental--visualization is for mental stage fright. You, on the contrary, have physical symptoms.

Don't worry, you're normal and there's an easy fix.

The physical symptoms are caused by too much adrenaline and noradrenaline and other hormones that get generated when you're excited. And let's face it, if you love music and love performing, it IS exciting! But the same amount of adrenaline that would be proper if, say, you were bear-hunting with a spear turns out to be too much for a polite recital, and that adrenaline has to "burn off" somehow--

So you get these physical symptoms. Yours is leg-shaking. Mine used to include shakey hands and also intense perspiration in an area about the size of a silver dollar on the proximal surface of both wrists (I'm not kidding, and it struck me as ridiculous even as it was happening).

The cure is to exercise the affected body part. You can stretch your legs, you can shake them, you can gently jog in place for a couple of minutes. One especially effective way to relax those muscles is to tense them--not so much that it hurts, but really tight and hard--for a second and then release them, repeat, repeat. Get all of the leg muscles, upper and lower, extensors and flexors, when you do this. Less than five minutes shortly before you go on, and your legs will be under control.

u will just need to learn how to not get nervous if u know what i mean try doing more things in front of people and also doing more concerts eventuly u should get used to being there this shouldnt happen

It will get better over time. Concentrate on what you are doing, and think positive thoughts. Usually my stage fright is caused by embarrassment and fear of being laughed at. If you have the opportunity to look at the audience, don't. Just look at the wall above their heads and concentrate on what you are doing. Practice everything beforehand, even the bowing, walking on to the stage, and sitting down in the bench. This will help you feel more confident because you feel like you're just practicing again.

You own that stage!
Imagine the audience all sitting there in their underware watching you perform, you can giggle inside.
Good Luck, ;-)

I totally get how you feel. In recitals, I would shake violently when I sang. (If you think it's distracting on pedals, imagine when your instrument is part of your body!) I would dig my heels in hard to keep my knees from visibly knocking, but that wouldn't really work for you.

I noticed that when I was acting in a musical, I was NEVER nervous when I sang. So, I started 'acting' in all of my pieces (even silly little arias that have no actual role associated to them). It worked a charm. Perhaps you could try pretending you're the composer when you perform?

I posted this else where... Nervousness is a result of how your practice and prepare... The great artists experience very little nervousness before a performance due to the way the prepare a piece for performance. I have spoken to a number of performers regarding this topic and the consensus has always come down to preparation. Most people psych themselves out before they reach the stage. They wake up nervous, they try to talk themselves out of being nervous, they try to do some sort of positive thinking (which in truth, fuels nervousness).

The nervousness is taken care of in how well you prepare. The more secure you know a piece the less nervous anxiety you will have. Nervousness occurs because of a lack of confidence in ones playing and practicing. I'm sure you and many others (i have myself) experienced this - prior to a performance you worry about the part that you messed up in practice or the section you could never get right. Then you try to psych yourself up so you play it well.... Unfortunately that doesn't work. you have to spend your time at the piano wisely.

Learn consciously. Always tell yourself places to jump to in the event of a memory slip. Remind yourself of what key you are playing. Memorize fingerings, sequential patterns, harmonic progressions. The more you know about the piece, the more secure you will be and the less nervousness you will experience.

You will always be a little bit nervous - so eat a banana before you hit the stage. Bananas have enzymes that help relax your nerves. But I consider this more jitters than nervous energy. Have a banana early in the day to quell the anticipation, then one an hour before our performance.

All this envisioning stuff.... 99% audience thinking... it doesn't work.... The more you think of a successful performance or try the "i own the stage" thinking, the more you will get nervous. That is setting you up for failure because you are telling yourself to not be nervous resulting in you getting nervous. Your preparation months ahead of time is what you need. It is not a quick fix 10 minutes before your performance... By then it is too late. Spend the practice time before the performance preparing yourself by doing as much slow practice as possible. Play things hands separate. Score study so you know the music completely. Playing through a piece won't work either. Never close you book and "test" the memory. You need to keep the music in front of you, memorizing everything and when you think you have it memorized, do it again. Try hands separate memory.

You must build confidence in what you do. With good practice you will have trust and confidence. The more you know about a piece, the more confidence you have. When you know something inside out you don't worry about memory. You only think of the music and how to shape it. You have to trust in your practice that everything you have done has helped to prepare you for the stage.

Trust me on this. None of my students have memory mistakes or feel nervous on stage. They are always prepared and play beautifully every time. This is the same preparation that I do and I perform approximately 40 to 50 times a year.

I find that alot of the time people who perfrom or play especially if they are really pasionate will shake even when they are not nervouse. I was just at auditions for Man of La Mancha and the favorite for Aldonza was shaking after she sang the Aldonza Song.