Performance Tips-Long

[fluteluversmom]

Hi~ Some of this might not apply to Middle or High
School players but there are some good ones here that would be good no matter
what age you are. I just started playing the flute again and I remember learning
some of these back when I was in High School. Chances are, that sometime in your
flute playing career, you are going to have to do some sort of performance.
Whether it’s a ten member audience performance, or a major festival, the tips
here can help you out a lot. 1. Nerves Okay, your big solo performance is coming
up faster than you can think and you’re looking forward to it, but you don’t
know what you’re going to do and you’re nervous beyond belief. Whether it’s in
front of a crowd of 15 or 15,000, most people do get nervous when they have to
perform. Be sure to put on deodorant before you leave your house; you don’t want
to be a stinky performer (even if you are at a distance from your audience) And
if you have a tendency to sweat a lot, it’s a good idea either to put deodourant
underneath your bottom lip (as gross as that sounds) or a postage stamp on the
lip plate of your flute so that it doesn’t slip away on you. Before your
performance, in the car ride over maybe, start taking very long deep breaths to
relax yourself. When you get to where you’re supposed to be, WARM UP BEFORE YOU
PERFORM! This is extremely important. You don’t want to go onstage with a cold,
out of tune flute, or tensed up lips. Now it’s time to play your piece. Try not
to think about how many people are there, but as you’re walking onstage, don’t
just look down at the ground, look at your audience, maybe even smile. Before
you start to play, don’t think about the audience or what they’re thinking about
you. Imagine that it’s just another one of your practice sessions and that you
are the only person in the room. When you start to play, concentrate on your
music; don’t let your stage-fright distract or overcome you. There is nothing
worse than losing your concentration and screwing up the song that you''ve
played a thousand other times perfectly. When you’re finished your piece (or
pieces in some cases), smile, take a bow or curtsy, and walk out gracefully. And
that’s it! You’re done! It’s over! There’s nothing left to worry about. Until
your next performance of course… 2. Playing When people play in front of an
audience, their pieces usually tend to be faster, less expressive, and generally
not as good as they usually are. In any sort of competition, this can cost
serious marks. To prevent this, make sure you have practised and perfected the
song you are going to perform. For extra practice, play it in front of friends,
family, your dog, or whoever else will listen; this will lower your chances of
freezing up in front of an audience. During the big performance, be sure to
concentrate on your music (even with a memorized piece, concentrate on it in
your mind). Pay attention to the little details that many people tend to forget
during performances such as dynamics, articulations, expressiveness, etc… In
competitions, doing this will set you apart from the other competitors because
they are probably just as nervous as you are. 3. Demeanor One of the most
important things of a performer is his/her demeanor. The worst thing possible to
do in any performance is to mope onto stage, not looking at your audience, play
your piece, then mope off again without bowing or extending any sort of courtesy
to your audience or judges. Walk on stage looking proud, like you’re enjoying
being there, make eye contact with the members of your audience and maybe even
smile. When you get to the spot you’re supposed to be in, put any music on the
stand or make any adjustments that you need to. If you have piano accompaniment,
tune your flute. Take your time before you start to play; don’t be rushed (this
can even create suspense in your audience for a greater effect). Take a nice,
deep breath and start playing. If you make a mistake, KEEP ON GOING. Don’t let
it ruin your performance and whatever you do, NEVER, EVER, EVER, STOP AND
RESTART THE ENTIRE PIECE OR SECTION THAT YOU MADE THE MISTAKE IN. Most people
won’t even realize that you made it and even if they do, it’s not that big of a
deal. After you’re done playing, look at your audience, smile (even if you’ve
played horribly), and take a bow or curtsy. Acting professional will make your
audience think you’re professional, whether your actual performance is done well
or not. 4. Be Prepared For any performance, the most important thing is to be
prepared. Make sure you know or have chosen which pieces you are supposed to
play well in advance. Practise them until they are perfect and even then,
practise them more. Make sure you know the exact year, month, day, hour, minute,
and second that you have to play. Don’t be late, in fact, be early! By at least
forty-five minutes to a half an hour to give you time to warm-up and relax
before you have to play. If you have a tendency to sleep in, make sure you have
alarm clocks set or somebody to wake you up. Being rushed can needlessly ruin
your playing. Make sure your accompanist also knows the time of your performance
and is early too. If your pieces are in some sort of collection, bookmark the
pages so that you won’t have to flip through your music before you start
playing. If you have to give copies of your music to an adjudicator, make sure
you have them ready and the pages marked as well. The most important thing to
remember is just to be prepared for any contingency. Being rushed and performing
horribly, forgetting your music, or even missing your performance are all
embarrassing scenarios that you do not want to experience.

[Emma]

Another tip I've found - there's some great
anti-perspirant available in pharmacies over the counter here in the UK called
"Driclor" which is not only good under arms and on chins, but also fingertips.
You don't want to be slipping off the keys... particularly if you're playing
in a hall with no air conditioning in the heat of summer, cramped into a small
space with the rest of the orchestra, a musical going on, and a large audience
packed in close. Eurgh. I'll stop complaining now. [;)]