It’s a month before your audition. And you can’t stop thinking about it. Now it is two weeks — to the hour, and you can’t stop worrying. Now it’s one week, and oh it’s tomorrow! Sound familiar?
Overthinking and worrying before your audition or performance is completely normal. But how do we stop it?
Today we are diving into a way that has helped me stop overthinking those auditions. That is: staying in the moment.
Easier said than done, right? Well today we are diving into how YOU can do it for yourself so that you can be calmer before your performance.
Practice staying in the moment BEFORE you need to
Just like practicing an instrument, practicing staying in the moment before you actually need to will make it easier when you are under pressure.
So what does that look like? For me, it is doing a 5 minute meditation every morning. Just taking 5 minutes to sit and breathe and focus my mind. Through this, it has become easier to focus my mind and breath when I am nervous for an audition.
So what does that look like for you? Whether that is doing five minutes of centering your breath, or it is noticing things around you in your daily life, practicing staying in the moment BEFORE you need to is key to making it easier to do so when you need to.
Observe the now
I remember my audition for the Cleveland Institute of Music. The night before, I was really overthinking it. So every time my mind wandered to that audition, I asked myself a question: what is happening now?
What is happening now? I am eating dinner. Or I am reading a book. Or I am looking out the window at some birds. Or whatever it is. Remind yourself of the most mundane things that you are doing in this moment.
So try it now. What is happening right now? (Other than you reading this). Are you inside or outside? Is there noise or is it quiet? Observe the now.
Let’s take a quick break from working through audition stress and chat a little bit about musical inspiration. You know that you and I both need a little musical motivation. We all do. That is why there is the Spring Roundup, full of fun and inspiring pieces of musical motivation that goes right in your inbox. This is perfect for that little boost of motivation we all need. From inspiring Instagram reels from musicians to your new favorite practice pencils. All the way to a podcast recommendation that will inspire you to listen to more music in a new and insightful way. If this sounds like something you need (because, let’s be honest, we all need this), sign up and get it in your inbox.
Using key phrases
The last thing is using key phrases to calm yourself down. As well as “What is happening now?”, you can use reassuring phrases.
Here are some examples:
- I am ready to perform my best
- It is the judges responsibility to determine whether I succeed, not mine.
- My responsibility is to play my best
Make them as specific to you as possible, and play around with them! These phrases can really help you recenter your thoughts and remain calm.
If you have an audition coming up, I wish you all the best, and hope you enjoy it!
All my best,
Eleanor
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