How can we best prepare mentally and physically for important performances and auditions?
1. Lots of exercise and sleep: get your heart rate up doing your favorite aerobics (situps, walking/running/zoomba, whatever). Getting your heart rate up (that means sweating!) gets the adrenaline OUT of your system come performance time. Lots of stretching, especially first thing in the morning, before bed, and in your down time before you perform. Sleep: reset that brain, get as much good quality sleep as you can.
2. Eats/Drinks: Take care that what you are putting into your body is fuel for the machine to work like a performance race car. Nutritional ! Avoid salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, lots of water and bananas :)
3. Mental Prep: stay focused on the music and how to get from point A to point B. Fully engaged in the performance! If your brain wanders, snap back to the present as quickly as possible. This is something you can practice now as you travel, Practice Performing.
4. Performance time: BREATHE! Cool, beautiful air in, tension and negativity OUT. As you breathe, don’t be talking to yourself or thinking through performance steps, just breathe…no-mindedness…let the brain rest (like yoga class). Don’t think about the competition, focus on being the storyteller that YOU want to be, and when you’re in the room, it’s Storytime! Be compelling w/ character and color, you know the notes and rhythms... full engagement in the music and music making process!