How To Prepare Yourself For A Stage Performance

By Matti Carter

The big performance is coming, and you are wondering how to get the best possible outcome out of it. Perhaps the performance is an important one, which is why you want to make the absolute most of it. No matter what your musical instrument is, these 8 steps will ensure that your live musical performance will become a success:

1. Make Sure You Have Practiced And Perfected Your Performance

You need to be able to master your performance before going on stage to perform it. It is always going to be harder to perform on stage than it is to perform in your bedroom, which is why you need to be able to prepare your song to the highest level. Mastering a song can take a while, so be patient and keep practising until you feel 100% confident about it.

2. Practise Performing In Front Of Your Friends And Family

A good way to prepare is to rehearse your performance in front people who will support you to do well. Playing in front of a small audience will most likely boost your confidence to a higher level. After that you will be ready to get on stage in front of a larger group of people.

3. Get Feedback Before The Performance

It is a good idea to ask your music teacher or musician friend for feedback before the performance. If they see any major errors in your performance, you may have a chance to correct those errors in time for the performance. At least you will be able to improve the quality of your performance a little birt, even if you don’t have a lot of time.

Another good way is to video tape your own performance. This way you will see yourself performing from the audience’s perspective, and might notice things that you never saw before. Recording a video of yourself is a great way to analyse your performance and improve it.

4. Get Enough Rest Before The Performance

You need to be wide awake at the performance, so it is recommended that you sleep well before it. This way you will be able to concentrate fully during the performance. If you get nervous the night before, sleeping well might be difficult. Nevertheless, try to sleep as well as you possibly can.

If you are on tour or you are having to perform several nights in a row, sleeping well might be harder. In this case, you should know your material so well, that you are able to perform on stage even if you are feeling slightly tired.

5. Dress Well

It is always a good idea to dress well for a performance. This will impress those who are watching you. Dressing well will give a great impression to the audience about your professionalism. If you look like a pro, then you will be perceived as a pro. You are also likely to feel more confident about yourself if you are well dressed.

6. Be On Time For The Performance

Being on time is very important. This is what people will expect from you, so it should go without saying. If you are late for a performance, it is not good for your reputation. You want to behave professionally in everything you do, on and off the stage.

7. Warm Up Shortly Before The Performance

If you have a chance to warm up at the venue before the performance, it is a good idea to go through your performance once or twice. If you haven’t got time to go through the full performance, you should still warm up one way or the other, so that you are ready to deliver a great performance.

8. Focus On The Performance

Just before the performance it is a good idea to recap in your head what you are going to do on stage. Once you are on stage, your focus should be 100% on the performance and nothing else. Do not get distracted by the crowd or by the external things that may be happening around you. Your job is to perform, be a star and do your own thing on stage as well as possible.

About The Author:

Matti Carter is a professional musician living in Tampere, Finland. He composes music, teaches piano and publishes instructional materials online. Feel free to contact him with a music related question.