From the article: Muscial Performance Anxiety
Handling social anxiety as a musician can be difficult. Performing in front of an audience involves a lot of concentration and coordination which can be difficult to control when anxiety symptoms are present. How do you handle social anxiety as a musician? Share Your Experiences
Enjoy playing; afraid of the rejection
- I have always loved performing... but was always afraid of the criticism afterwards. In high school, I had a vocal test for choral music and was told by my music teacher that I should never consider music. Fast forward a decade and a half later, I picked up flute and had some great performing success, and started playing viola. I am in a Community Orchestra; have taken Master Music classes with our Conductor but am terrified of asking him for private lessons. I am worried that once he hears me play outside of the orchestra, he too will see me as an inept viola player and kick me out of orchestra. Music is something I truly love as a hobby and passion but feel this constant apprehension. When I am practicing, I am constantly ripping my own playing apart. I would just love to play for the sake of playing and for the sheer love of music.
- —Guest Sandy
music is consolation
- When I get overwhelmed by dealing with others socially, I like to go into solitude with my classical guitar and play and just sink into the music and let it soothe me.
- —Giovanna_la_Bella
yet
- It's weird because you'd think that when you have SAD you would be totally incapable of performing but with strength it's definitely possible. When you're walking through a crowd in your every day life you feel like everyone's judging you but you still have that "irrational" feeling like - maybe they're not. When you're a musician and you're on stage EVERYONE has a right to take notice of you BUT it's so empowering because it's kind of like you're facing your biggest fear. It's weird because it's scarier for me to walk down the street through a crowd than to sing on stage and know that everyone is watching me.
- —Guest Jessie
