Because the 10th fell inside the Easter break, however, a number of artists were unable to be there, but all have reserved their rights to perform in the next Showcase on 1 May - we look forward enormously to welcoming them back. This gave us all the opportunity, however, to welcome some new faces, who made wonderful contributions to a great programme.
We want to take this opportunity to reiterate again how important it is not to wait until you feel you’re ‘perfect’ before performing in public. Of course, we aim to be the best we can be, but perfection is unattainable and you will only frustrate yourself and become very unhappy as a result. It is much better to start where you are, enjoy your performance, have fun with the audience, and aim to do better each time - the world’s most successful artists all had to start somewhere, and had to grow into the artists they are today - all it takes is courage.
Please, also remember that the Academy’s Showcases are not a competition - they are simply opportunities for you to learn, and to almost teach yourself about performance, which is something that can be learnt and mastered ONLY through the doing of it.
That is why we encourage all artists participating in the Showcases to perform pieces they have already worked on - perhaps something you are preparing for an exam, an audition or a competition. The opportunity is there for you to perform it as many times as you want, or until you feel ready for something else - please don’t think that you have to prepare something new especially for each Showcase, and please also don’t compare yourself to what other artists offer; their repertoire might already be much larger than yours.
- Get a good night’s rest the night before your performance
- Have a substantial breakfast!
- Go through your pieces a couple of times, noting any points you may particularly want to emphasise
- Dress comfortably
- Meditate on your performance
- see yourself performing flawlessly, enjoying it, full of confidence, relaxed
- see your audience engaged with you, smiling, enjoying your performance applauding enthusiastically when you have finished
- Arrive at the venue in good time, so you do not feel flustered
- Warm up your voice/body/fingers/instrument
- Take the time to simply stand on the stage so that it’s not weird when you have to get up there to perform
- When it’s your turn, remember to take your music with you, and walk to the stage with confidence; your performance starts from the moment you get up out of your seat and ends when you sit down again
- Bow and smile, to acknowledge the audience’s anticipation of your performance
- Have fun with your performance - allow the audience to enjoy it with you
- If you make a mistake, just continue your performance and continue to enjoy it - chances are no-one would have noticed or if they did, they won’t remember it once you show them you are not bothered by it yourself - it also gives them permission to continue enjoying your performance for themselves
- When you have finished, take your music, smile, stand in the middle of the stage and bow your thanks to the audience’s appreciation of your performance
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