Frequently Asked Questions
Music performance anxiety is a debilitating and complex condition. The most common symptom is excessive nerves before or during performance - but it can encompass a whole range of physical and mental symptoms at varying degrees and stages.
In the most severe cases, performance anxiety can cause ongoing overwhelming symptoms of dread, fear, and anxiety. This can strike before or during a performance and can affect your ability to perform. Over time, it might cause performance avoidance and missed opportunities, damage your career or even threaten your livelihood.
Others will have milder symptoms or more occasional instances of excess nerves which may make them question their ability to play to their potential. These can be just as debilitating when they catch you off-guard or during an important performance.
Longer term symptoms of anxiety can leak into all areas of your life and significantly affect your quality of life. Feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing and self-doubt can lead to addictions, depression and significant mental health issues if left unaddressed.
Most performance anxiety help for musicians is generic and fails to target the root cause. My free assessment tool helps you get straight to the root and uncover the hidden patterns that block your flow. Answer 18 questions to get an instant personalised report and tailored plan to unlock performance freedom.
The most common symptoms of music performance anxiety are:
Physical symptoms:
feeling tense, shaky
feeling cold and clammy or hot and sweaty
nausea and vomiting, stomach upset
a fast, pronounced, or erratic heartbeat
rapid, shallow breathing
dry mouth, tight throat
muscular movements which feel twitchy, clunky or disjointed
frozen, unable to move, or an overwhelming urge to run off stage
Psychological symptoms:
a racing mind
negative self-talk, self-sabotaging thoughts
brain fog, memory slips, mental confusion
dissociation
self-doubt and lack of confidence
fear of judgement and fear of failure
Any of these symptoms in isolation or combination can make you feel out of control or unable to play to your true capabilities. You might struggle to move your body or use your breath with ease, affecting how easily you use your instrument or voice. Maybe you panic and play too fast, split notes or get a shaky bow. Perhaps you freeze – unable to hit the high notes, get memory blanks, forget your words or in extreme cases, even forget how to play your instrument. You might have negative thoughts such as, “I’m an idiot. Why do I always mess up? What’s wrong with me?”
Aside from in-the-moment symptoms, performance anxiety can encompass a whole range of associated symptoms and issues, such as depression, generalised anxiety, addictions, phobias, and constant feelings of self-doubt and not being good enough.
I work with musicians who are brilliant at what they do, yet still feel the grip of performance anxiety when the pressure’s on. Through hypnosis, NLP, and years of experience supporting performers, I help reprogramme the subconscious patterns that hold you back, so you can step on stage with confidence, clarity and freedom.
Music performance anxiety is usually characterised by excess nerves or anxiety before or during a performance which interfere with your ability to flow. It can make you feel both physically and mentally restricted (eg. muscle tension, shakiness, involuntary movements, brain fog, memory loss, sabotaging thoughts, along with other potential symptoms). This can make you unable to play with the ease you enjoyed during practice. It negatively affects your performance and/or your perception of performance, which may or may not be visible to others.
Some signs that you may have performance anxiety are:
You are unable to sustain a constant level of flow during your performance
You obsessively practice or over-prepare before a performance
You struggle to feel at ease when performing, or moments of ease are fleeting
You regularly need beta blockers to get through performing
Drinking alcohol (or smoking) helps to calm your nerves before, during or after a performance
You crumble under pressure (eg. solos, auditions, trials, new opportunities)
It's important to note this is not an exhaustive list - there are different levels of performance anxiety as everyone is different. What feels out of control for you can be manageable to another.
My free assessment tool helps you assess your level of performance anxiety and uncover the hidden patterns that block your flow. Answer 18 questions to get an instant personalised report and tailored plan to unlock performance freedom.
It is possible to overcome music performance anxiety with the right approach. Hypnotherapy is a highly effective treatment for moderate to severe performance anxiety. It goes beyond symptom management to create a transformational shift in your perception, behaviours and beliefs at a subconscious level. We effectively rewire the negative patterns and blocks to create new positive patterns of thoughts and behaviour which support you to play to your true potential.
As a hypnotherapist for musicians, I 'get' the challenges and struggles of your world. I work with musicians globally to reprogramme the patterns that hold you back, so you can step on stage with confidence.
I've developed a powerful free assessment tool that helps you uncover the hidden patterns that block your flow. Answer 18 questions to get an instant personalised report and tailored plan to unlock performance freedom.
Many famous musicians have suffered with performance anxiety. Legendary pianist Glenn Gould famously retired from the concert stage because of it. Barbra Streisand avoided live performances for nearly three decades after forgetting her lyrics on-stage at Central Park.
Cellist Jacqueline du Pré, legendary tenor Pavarotti, and pop icons like Adele and Rihanna have all spoken openly about their experience in an attempt to de-stigmatise performance anxiety. It is possible that many more famous musicians struggle with performance anxiety than we can ever realise. For them, the struggle is often a silent one, but it doesn't have to be.
I work with musicians who are at the top of what they do, yet still feel the grip of performance anxiety when the pressure’s on. Through hypnosis, NLP, and years of experience supporting performers, I help reprogramme the subconscious patterns that hold you back, so you can step on stage with confidence, clarity and freedom.
Book a free discovery call with me to explore how we can work together.