Preparing for Performance Exams

Note: Listen to Blues Brothers 'Green Onions' while reading this.

You are nearing that time of the year when there is a performance assessment coming up and you hope you are prepared. To make sure you go through your checklist.

• Do you know the 10 assessment criteria?   Yep
• Have you included evidence that each of the 10 assessment criteria is covered?   Yes 
• Have you been practising regularly?   Sure
• Do you know your performance pieces?   Almost...will do by exam day
• Have you been performance practising?   Yeah...I have been going through my repertoire from top to bottom
• Do you know where the tricky areas are?    Of course, I practise those over and over again

You feel good about your answers, and think, 'that must be a good sign that you're prepared'. 

As the days go by you start to feel a little nervous, and excited over the prospect of completing this assessment. Some days you feel on top of everything, other times you feel a little overwhelmed. You have done so much work and you don't want nerves to impede your performance in any way. So you think, 'how can I make sure my nerves don't impede my performance in any way'?

You ask your teacher, 'how can I make sure my nerves don't impede my performance in any way'? 

They answer, 'have you been going through your checklist'?    

You answer, 'yes'.

They say, 'I've heard you play, and you've worked very hard, you'll be fine, just keep practising'.

You ask your friends,  'how can I make sure my nerves don't impede my performance in any way'? 

They answer, 'you're an amazing performer, you'll be fine, just keep practising'.

You ask your parents, your siblings, the guy next door who hears you every time you practise,  'how can I make sure my nerves don't impede my performance in any way'? 

They all answer, (except for your little brother), 'we hear you practise every day and you have worked so hard, you'll be fine, just keep practising'. Your little brother answers, 'ya nerves are gonna make you pee? How embarassing'!

After all the encouraging words you still feel a little uncertain about how you are going to control your nerves so you don't pee in your performance, I mean so they don't impede your performance. You go searching online and stumble across 'The Confidence Factory'. After reading, you find a workshop called 'Getting Mind Ready for Performance', and realise that this is the kind of help you are looking for. 

You book in and attend the workshop.

You learn

• Old ways to manage nerves that don't work and new ways that do
• About neuroplasticity
• New simple mindset exercises to use during performance practise
• How to journal to enhance positive mindset

You even recieve a free journal, itemised, to use as a tool while you are practising the tools to manage your nerves, so they do't impede your performance in any way!

You go through the processes you learnt during the workshop and include them in your daily practise routine. As your performance exam gets closer and closer, you feel more and more confident, about controlling your nerves, to the point, where you become excited and are looking forward to showing off what you can do.

The performance day arrives.

• You are ready.
• You feel the part.
• You go into the exam room, and...
• YOU ENJOY PERFORMING TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY AND COME OUT SMILING!

THE END