In this continuation of the case study, the author explores how a musician named Jane experiences stutter-like tension while playing. Initially, she performs well with conducting but struggles without it. The article delves into the mental challenges she faces, particularly fear of failure and confusion upon starting to play. Techniques like visualization and focused breathing exercises helped Jane regain control and confidence, illustrating effective strategies to manage performance anxiety and improve musical expression through physical and mental techniques such as the Alexander technique and Gestalt psychotherapy.
I asked her to close her eyes, feel a pulse, and hear the opening phrase in her head. Keeping the internal pulse, I asked her to begin playing after she heard the first phrase.
This illustrates how establishing a clear tempo in one's mind can eliminate the uncertainty that one often feels in the moments before just playing.
Focusing on the beat and taking a full breath in tempo reduces the distraction of the fear of "choking."
I noticed that Jane seemed awkward when inhaling. I ask her to mimic yawning when inhaling, describing the yawn as our evolved example of the most efficient way to inhale.
#music-performance #musical-stuttering #psychological-techniques #alexander-technique #breathing-strategies
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