Re: Performance anxiety

On 30 Jan 2006 05:23:07 -0800, tonewheeljackson@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>>>Why are you taking a piano exam at age 42? You are not going to have a
>>>professional career nor study music in college or at a conservatory.
>>>Just relax and do it for fun and skip the stress of an examination.
>
>Well I'm also 42 and I'm now doing the grade exams I missed as a child
>(I quit my classical lessons at school to go and play jazz and rock
>'n'roll :-))
>
>I'm doing this primarily because I *want* to. I seriously covet a sheet
>of paper stamped by the ABRSM that says 'Grade 8 distinction' and my
>name on it. Does this make me a bad person? :-)

Not at all. I made this comment because the O.P. seemed to suffer
undue stress as a result.

>However as a side effect of this I'm finding I am putting so much more
>effort into my study and practice than I ever did before. I am
>practicing more, and concentrating more when I practice, and I'm
>*enjoying* practicing more than I ever did before. And I'm getting
>noticeably better. This only started once I knew I had an exam coming
>up, this is such a motivator for me.
>
>Now no doubt we should all be self motivated and not have to depend on
>artificial external goals like passing a grade. I'd love to be like
>that. I'd also like to be 6 ft tall with a lean muscular physique.
>Unfortunately I'm neither.
>However the grades have solved the first part of this for me, haven't
>found an answer to the second one yet.

Whatever works. My piano teacher has the adult students do recitals a
few times of year to provide motivation and a goal. I have three
pieces that need to be as good as I can get them by March 4. I must
say that this have motivated me to put in some extra practice.
- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only
.

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