Page 86 - How to Shine on Stage

law (Harrison et al., 2020). The law states that optimal performance is
achieved with just the right amount of physiological excitement. I illus-
trate this relationship to musicians by using an analogy of a light bulb:
if there is too little electricity, the bulb will not produce light; if there
is too much electricity, the bulb will burn out; if there is just the right
amount of electricity, the bulb will produce light. The same is true of
performance success and physiological excitement. There has to be just
the right amount of it for us to shine on stage with our musical perfor-
84 mance. The temperament of the performing musician also has to be con-
sidered here. A musician whose natural physiological responses are faster
and stronger will need less additional situationally driven physiological
excitement to perform optimally, while a musician whose responses are
How to Shine on Stage 2.2.2.1 Physical Symptom Regulation Strategies
slower and less intense will need more of such excitement.

How can one effectively regulate the amount and, above all, the intensi-
ty of the experienced physical symptoms before going on stage? It is im-
portant to understand that it does not suffice to use a certain somatic
technique just before a performance, rather the body needs to be trained
daily to be able to relax to the level which is optimal for performance.
Excessive relaxation is also not desirable, as it impedes the control of the
fine motor movements, and lacks the necessary vigour that enables mu-
sical expressiveness. Therefore, it would be advisable for every musician
to incorporate into their daily practice some techniques that would al-
low them to relax physically, emotionally, and mentally, and to practise
these mental skills as regularly as they practise their instrument/singing.
Such regular practice would also result in physical, emotional, and men-
tal well-being, which in turn leads to better achievements in many areas
of life (not only professional).
Pre- performance excitement regulation strategies can be separated
into physical, emotional, and mental, albeit only roughly, as there is usu-
ally some overlap between them. It bears acknowledging that the strat-
egies I will outline as pertaining to the physical regulation also overlap
with the emotional and mental regulation strategies.
As key physical regulation techniques employed by musicians, I iden-
tify the progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, the Alexander
Technique, Feldenkreis method, and the BMC (Body-Mind Centering)
method (Braden et al., 2015; Burin & Osorio, 2016; Fullagar et al., 2013).
There are several known experts in somatics for musicians in Slove-
nia. The BMC method is Ilonka Pucihar’s expertise, and the Alexander