Is fear holding you back?

As musicians, overcoming our fears is one of our biggest challenges. Allowing ourselves to become vulnerable vehicles for the music we wish to share is a momentous task, immediately peeling away the layers to expose our truest selves to an audience full of people we may have never met.

After the performance, however, no matter how fearful you were prior to or during it, it's a time of intense exhilaration. You can't wait for the next opportunity to perform. How can we cultivate that fearless feeling in the performance itself and live life as it's meant to be lived?

A few weeks ago, I began reading Madeline Bruser's The Art of Practicing for a second time. This time, I've been able to get through the book much more quickly and it's been a surprise to find that I've absorbed so much of the information in the book and am applying it to my music making. It's such an excellent resource to have, and obviously worth re-reading every now and then.

Near the end of the book, in Chapter 14, Bruser speaks about transforming fear into fearlessness. In the section, she discusses how fear may keep us from discovering a new way of identifying ourselves. 

I took this away - each time I experience self doubt, I am fearful. I'm experiencing fear in the times that I don't feel capable of performing to my fullest potential. Instead of waiting for a "big break" to come, start transforming performances with fearlessness. Don't limit your performance to what fear dictates you can handle.

I know what it feels like to be fearless. My study of Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique has enabled me to slowly integrate a complete mind-body connection into my awareness as I practice and perform. In choosing to live my life with awareness, I am choosing to let go of the fears that can restrain me in performance.

Transforming fear into fearlessness is the first step to performing with freedom and true artistry. As your performances come to life, your confidence will blossom and your identity may shape into something more powerful than you ever thought possible. This will bring more opportunities your way.

We spend so much time seeking validation from external sources that we forget what is possible on our own. When you allow the validation to come from within, the chance of getting that "big break" will become more likely. As with anything in life, end gaining does nothing but cause despair when we get off track. Simply accepting what is and cultivating resiliency will benefit you in many more ways than endless start and stops.

You can transform fear into fearlessness by having the courage to share what is in your heart, enjoying the process and letting go of what you think you should be doing. Instead, live with passion, live with heart and most of all, live with the confidence that you are an artist in the present moment.

In the words of Bruser, "We can keep growing only if we face our fear and dare to step forward through it."

Demystifying movement

Photo: Gwen Vanhee

One of the things I love most about Body Mapping is how it helps demystify the body. Body Mapping within the scope of Andover Educators provides anatomical information that can help musicians discover freedom and joy in their performances. Discussing movement as it relates to music has been an abstract concept for me that, at times, has been difficult to clarify and translate.

Demystifying movement as it relates to performance is simple. How do you move with your instrument? What movement habits do you think you need when you play? How can you change those habits so that you replace your current automatic response with one with a correct body map?

When I realized this simplicity of movement, I was thinking about my hands. How can the structure of my hand maximize musical freedom? I can palpate the joints of my fingers and I can look at my hands as they type these words. I can look at pictures or examine anatomical models. All of these elements can contribute to changing the mental representation I have of my hands in my brain.

When I play my flute, I know from where I move my fingers and that awareness is freedom to engage more deeply in the music. As long as I play with awareness of how my hands are designed, I will play with freedom. This is the demystification of movement that I've been after for a long time. This is only the start, but I'm beginning to realize the simplicity that is there. There isn't some magical formula of movement that will help you play better. It's an ability to keep moving and the ability to bring yourself back to balance.

Pre-conceived notions interfere so easily with what we know. Art mirrors life so much that if we cannot apply what we learn through somatic disciplines to daily life, we are cheating ourselves of additional opportunities to learn more about ourselves. We are practicing every waking hour. We may move differently when we aren't playing our instruments, but we can learn just as much.

Awareness of movement enables us to be close to our art any time we choose.

Current surveys ask for musicians' opinion on bullying and injuries

The injury rate for musicians is estimated to be somewhere around 75 percent (google "musician injury rate" and a wealth of information appears for you to research this yourself). This is a huge and very scary number. For any number of reasons, some musicians speak publicly about their injuries with colleagues and students while others remain silent.

I'm one of the injured, and I'm not afraid to talk about it. I'm also not afraid to talk about the other issues that commonly plague musicians like performance anxiety and gnawing periods of self doubt. It's a part of being human. With performing arts medicine and somatic disciplines such as Alexander Technique and Body Mapping helping performers return to their instruments pain and injury free, why are we still so secretive? Why does it seem that most musicians discover this information on their own when they need answers?

Performing arts medicine is a field that all musicians should make themselves familiar with. Injury is a deeply personal thing that can humiliate the musician especially if it seems that no one else around them can relate. With adequate awareness and education, music students should feel comfortable enough to discuss issues with their teachers so that accommodations can be made. Just like an athlete eases up on their training if they pull a muscle, musicians should listen to their bodies and ease up if something feels wrong. A support network of trusted individuals can help make this process easier.

There are two surveys currently making their rounds on the internet. The first is a study on bullying in the arts and contains sections regarding injury and asks musicians about their comfort level in discussing them. I'm very interested in seeing the results of this survey and I encourage you to complete it for yourself. You can find the survey here. It is being conducted by Robin Kish, MS, MFA.

The second is a more informal survey entitled The Healthy Musician. The nice thing about this survey is you can instantly see poll results. This website was created by someone named Molly. The survey seems legitimate and while I'm not sure what will be done with the data collected on this site, the ability to see instant poll results is catering to a present need and can help musicians feel less alone.

Take a look at the surveys, and I encourage you to contribute. These are two safe ways of sharing your opinions and experiences which will benefit us all.