MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE
hard, and to know your parts before you get in a room with other musicians. I aim to improve the performance of my students and get them ready for the highly competitive world of music. As such, here’s the practical advice I like to give them about music:
Social – Listen to others. Accept that you may be wrong sometimes. Be healthy so that you can do your work effectively, and enjoy it. Don’t try to elevate yourself to a higher position in a group situation without the consent of all members. Prove your worth. Think outside the box. Solve disputes quickly, in a calm manner.
WritingMusic – Form a band with friends. Form a band with strangers. Google ‘Oblique Strategies’.Write a song from a different
perspective. Listen to ‘Song To The Siren’ by This Mortal Coil. Empat hise. Use an alternative instrument to write with. Study a song in a language that you don’t understand. Close your eyes when you listen.
Recording – Try to record your work to the highest affordable quality before letting people hear it. Stockpile your songs. For an album, write 50 ideas, craft 30, hone 15, focus on 12 in the final stages. Revisit your unreleased songs from previous projects and scavenge for gold. Sample yourself. Surround yourself with people who are amazing and inspire you to better your skill-set.
oj
Rehearsing – Video/record your rehearsals to see what you look and sound like to others. Listen deeply to the content and the relationship between the music and lyrics. Rehearse the important extra production layers, such as vocal harmonies and percussion, separately. Routine difficult sections and run the song playing in pairs, guitar and drums, vocals and bass, etc. Use personal practice time to prepare for your rehearsal, when others aren’t paying for it. Be honest if someone needs help. Consider image.
homesickness on lo ng tours Work hard and pla y hard, but only if you can work hard the next day. Respect each other. Consider that people’s good days and bad days are often out of alignment. Bend your knees when lifting.Wear ear protection when necessary.”
Touring – Plan your journey. Prepare for .
MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE
as performance anxiety, and other pressures of the industry.
“As a former artist myself, I understand how stressful performing can be, so I use my training as a psychologist and my PhD in music, emotion and wellbeing, to help students to find their niche and optimise their performance capabilities. I find that if they understand what it is about them that leads to wellbeing and resilience, then they’ve got a better chance of doing the best performance possible, as well as being consistent across time. They learn how to manage and regulate themselves so they can perform in any sort of tuation and bring out their best, particularly if ’s something they’re especially nervous about or really care abou t.
it si
“In my performance anxiety workshops, firstly I do some psycho education so that the students understand why they get anxious and what happens in their body on a physiological level – if they understand it, it’s less threatening and they’re better able to manage and overcome it. I explain anxiety from an evolutionary perspective, and we discuss the physical symptoms and the tools and techniques needed to address the problem.
“I often use meditation, mindfulness and relaxation techniques and do physical exercises with the class, as well as encouraging students to perform in front of me. This recreates the experience and emotions they feel whilst
performing so they can practice the techniques in real time while their physical symptoms are occurring.
SARAH CAMPBELL Wellbeing Advisor – ACM
SARAH CAMPBELL Wellbeing Advisor – ACM
“As ACM’sWellbeing Advisor, I undertake one- to-one mentoring and coaching with our
students, as well as running wellbeing, meditation and mindfulness workshops covering issues such
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“I also teach them skills and techniques for improving their confidence and increasing their self-esteem, while at the same time reducing their need for perfectionism.We cover what they’re good at and break down the details o f their performance itself – learning how to move, how to manage the physiological symptoms of anxiety, and how to regulate their emotions so that they can overcome any stumbling blocks.
“I tell my students that a bit of nerves is
actually really helpful, as it prepares the body for performance and focuses it – getting it into a flow
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state. The key to a great performance is learning how to harness that nervousness in a productive way rather than letting it overwhelm you so that it hinders your performance. As a class, we do many of these activities as group sessions, so it’s easy for the individual students to realise they’re not the only ones in the world feeling like this; others are in the same boat too – it’s a great technique for peer support.
“My biggest tip for teaching students how to cope with stage fright is to make them
even if inside you’re realising that it’s ver
understand just how common it is. Around 75% of elite performers get performance anxiety, and I find the best solution is to talk about it. I explain that it’s something to work with rather than something to feel ashamed about or try and get rid of. The key to overcoming it is to start off by performing in front of one person, and talking about how that makes you feel, before ultimately y possible to appear confident feeling really nervous.
“A great way to stay calm before a live performance is to do a grounding relaxation exercise which focuses on breathing. If a student is anxious or panicking, ask them to roll their shoulders forwards and backwards, imagining that their feet are planted deeply into the ground, and that when t hey breathe out, everything in their body is dropping to the floor. Get them to place their hand below their stomach and try to push it in and out with their breathing, helping them to relax. Also, shifting the focus away from being worried, towards more positive aspects, such as what’s good about their performance, how extensively they’ve prepared, what they enjoy about performing, and what they’ve done
confidence back up well in the past can
just in time to go on stage.” really help to build their
If there are stu dents in your school wh o you thinkmight benefit fromstudying the art of performance on one of the college’s practical courses, they should call the ACM Admissions Teamon 01483 500 800 or email
c.uk to book a place at one
of the Open Days. admissions@acm.a
Novembe r 2016 2016
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