Page 13 - How to Shine on Stage

concepts of self-evaluation focusing predominantly on self-image and its
action-oriented “sister” by the name of self-efficacy, and the socially em-
bedded concept of identity. I continue with the main driving force for the
achievement of success, namely motivation. This is followed by a chap-
ter on self-regulation which includes both cognitive and emotional moti-
vational factors. In this chapter, I concentrate on music practice in all its
forms. As the last indirect factor of the success of musical performance,
I highlight the role of parents and teachers, without whose support it is
difficult to imagine a successful musical path. Whereas the indirect fac- 11
tors of musical performance regard longer periods of music education,
the direct factors that I put into focus are those with a concrete impact on
musical performance. I organize them into the physiological, emotional,
and mental realms, and stress the importance of regulation at all three
levels, which function interdependently. The main emphasis is placed on Foreword
two key psychological phenomena relating to performance that directly
affect the success of musical performance: performance anxiety and per-
formance flow. In the last section, I present the path a pupil/student/pro-
fessional musician has to take if they want to manage their performance
stress and work on their overall well-being.
In some chapters, this scientific monograph extends beyond the
realm of psychology and enters that of music professions. I justify this
by the fact that the monograph is intended for a wide scope of practis-
ing musicians and therefore also includes current approaches that may
not yet be fully scientifically supported, but are widely implemented in
practice. The practical orientation is particularly evident in the chap-
ter where I list various direct factors of musical performance success and
highlight strategies that enable musical performers to regulate signs of
pre- performance excitement at the physical, emotional, and mental lev-
els. I find it important for musicians to have a comprehensive set of strat-
egies employed by performers readily available in a single resource.
I am delighted to be able to invite you on a journey that has always
stirred questions within me and ignited my search for answers and prac-
tical solutions to the challenges relating to shining on stage for oneself
and for others while making music. I was inspired above all by the aim
of guiding young musicians toward optimizing their own psychological
capacities in order to experience flow and achieve musical excellence.