When you are preparing for a major ensemble audition, a live solo recital, or a high stakes performance opportunity, you probably spend ninety percent of your time staring at the music. You drill tricky technical passages, practice slow with a metronome, record yourself repeatedly, and obsess over every subtle articulation mark.
While mastering the standard repertoire is nonnegotiable, musicians often discover the hard way that performing under pressure requires much more than just knowing the notes. When the spotlight hits or you step behind the screen, your biggest opponent is rarely the difficult passage on the page. It is your own nervous system.
If you want to walk into that room or onto that stage and deliver a performance that truly reflects your capabilities, you have to train your mind and body just as rigorously as your fingers and embouchure.
🔄 1. Reframe the Nerves: A Lesson from NLP, Doc Severinsen, and the Inner Game
When I was studying Neuro Linguistic Programming in Toronto, I learned a fundamental truth about how our minds process stress. Sometimes people feel nervous, and it is completely normal to experience that rush. However, instead of viewing performance anxiety as an enemy trying to sabotage you, you can reframe it using powerful psychological tools rooted in NLP and the Inner Game philosophy.
Legendary Tonight Show trumpet player Doc Severinsen mastered this exact mindset. He used
to get nervous, but then he completely transformed how he viewed that feeling. Whenever that nervous energy kicked in, he would look at it and say, “Ah, there is my little friend,” knowing instantly that his body was primed and he was ready to play.
For many experienced players, feeling a little nervous simply means your body is awake and ready. Rather than fighting the adrenaline, lean into it.
A classic lesson from the Inner Game framework highlights this brilliantly. During a horn masterclass at the University of Wisconsin with Doug Hill, a student was so nervous she was shaking. Doug stopped her, told her to start again, and instructed her to be more nervous.
The paradox worked instantly, and she was no longer nervous because she stopped trying not to be nervous. In that same masterclass, when getting up to play the Mozart Fourth Horn Concerto resulted in a missed high B flat, the instruction was simply to start again and miss the B flat on purpose. Without the exhausting pressure of trying to avoid a mistake, the passage was nailed cleanly.
Think of those pre-performance nerves not as a personal flaw, but as your trusty little friend or an internal diagnostic tool. When you stop fighting the anxiety and embrace the paradox, you turn that protective energy into focused drive.
🧠 2. Shift from Outcome Focus to Process Focus
The moment you start thinking about winning the job, landing the chair, impressing the audience, or what the committee is whispering behind the screen, your anxiety spikes. Muscle tension increases, your breathing becomes shallow, and your focus shatters.
To combat this, professional performers practice process orientation. Instead of focusing on the final result, break your performance mindset down into micro goals:
Focus entirely on the physical sensation of your first three breaths before you play.
Concentrate on the exact resonance and airflow of your initial attack.
Treat the musical moment not as an exam, but as a live musical communication you are sharing with the room.
When your brain is occupied with executing physical and musical mechanics, there is no mental bandwidth left over for panic.
🏋️ 3. Build Physical Resilience for High Stress
Adrenaline does strange things to the human body. Your heart rate skyrockets, fine motor skills degrade, and dry mouth sets in. If you only practice while sitting comfortably in your studio with perfect lighting and zero pressure, your body will experience complete culture shock when it hits the stage or the audition corridor.
You need to simulate physical stress during your preparation phase:
The Cardio Run Through: Do a round of jumping jacks or brisk stair climbing right before you play your opening excerpt. Force your body to handle elevated heart rates while maintaining tone quality and pitch center.
The Cold Start: Walk into your practice space, pick up your instrument immediately, and play your hardest piece cold with zero warmup notes. In a real performance or audition, you rarely get to play your favorite warmup routine backstage.
Distraction Training: Practice while facing a blank wall, or record yourself with harsh overhead lighting to mimic the clinical environment of an audition hall or stage.
☕ 4. Master Your Performance Day Logistics
Mental and physical preparation can be completely derailed by poor logistical planning. Keeping your stomach light by avoiding heavy food before playing ensures your breathing remains relaxed, posture stays stable, and you avoid sluggishness under the lights. Combine that with bulletproof preparation, such as memorizing everything to ensure you know the pieces inside and out, and you remove the guesswork entirely.
The Gear Checklist: Double check your valve oil, spare strings, mouthpieces, pencils, and backup gear the night before.
The Warmup Timeline: Map out your exact schedule for arrival, quiet buzzing, initial warmups, and transit to the stage or holding room.
Hydration and Nutrition: Avoid heavy meals right before you play, but do not starve yourself. Sip water consistently throughout the day to keep your system hydrated.
🎯 The Ultimate Goal
A performance or audition is not a measurement of your worth as an artist. It is simply a snapshot of how well you managed a specific musical environment on one particular afternoon or evening.
By expanding your preparation beyond the notes on the page, you can step into the spotlight with absolute confidence, trusting that both your craft and your nervous system are ready for the moment.
💡 What Is Your Pre-Performance Routine?
How do you handle nerves right before stepping onto the stage or behind the screen? Drop your best tips in the comments below.
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Author: Guy Edrington
Freelance French Horn available for performance and teaching engagements. I specialize in studio/remote session work, chamber music, recitals, and ensemble performance (orchestra, opera, ballet, musicals). Also offering private lessons and masterclasses, online or in-person.