Page 119 - How to Shine on Stage

of their own physiological changes prior to performance. They cope with
them and experience less anxiety (Salmon, 1990). Over the years, they
develop a number of coping strategies to manage stress. Their purpose
of these strategies is to reduce over-stimulation, increase concentration,
and harness excess physical energy.

3.3 Pre-Performance Excitement as the Main Stressor
in Musicians 117
Pre-performance excitement is most directly related to musical perfor-
mance success, or is most frequently reported by musicians as problem-
atic. After many years of using the clinical term performance anxiety,
and after numerous discussions with music performers, as well as based
on a review of a number of research studies, I have concluded that it is
more appropriate to refer to the sensations felt before walking on stage
as pre-performance excitement, rather than as stage fright, performance
anxiety, or fear of performing. The importance of adequate naming of
the psychophysiological state prior to performance has been alerted to in
performance psychology by Alison Wood Brooks (2014), who has argued
that naming determines the mindset, either towards a growth or a fixed
direction (Dweck, 2016). The pre-performance sensation that envelops
the performer before stepping onto the stage is at its core devoid of any Pre-Performance Excitement as the Main Stressor in Musicians
connotation. However, as soon as this psychophysiological sensation is
framed within the context of stage fright, performance anxiety, or fear of
performing, an a priori negative emotional connotation emerges, affect-
ing the physiological and emotional charge which could otherwise serve
as an additional potential for optimal performance. This potential man-
ifests itself as the performer’s inner light, which ignites them, so that they
radiate it into their surroundings and pass it to the audience. Therefore,
even top performers report experiencing pre-performance excitement;
however, they have learned through experience to evaluate it positive-
ly and to regulate it appropriately using adequate strategies if the excite-
ment happens to be excessive or insufficient (Braden et al., 2015; Clarke
et al., 2020; Juncos & Markman, 2016; Kenny et al., 2014).
But what are the primary reasons that cause pre- performance ex-
citement to often overwhelm the performer, rather than being effective-
ly managed by them? In general, we can trace the origin to internal
sources, namely the feelings of personal competence and perfectionism,
the core of which lies in the fear of making mistakes, as well as to ex-
ternal sources, such as social evaluation and concern about what par-
ents, teachers, peers, and the audience will say—in short, what others