This is a small and a big subject, like layers in an ice cake.

We want to do our best. Play well.

• Anxiety shakes, being comfortable etc.
• Communicating wit people - "that’s nice"
• If you make a mess, trumpet players will take about it
• People are dying, starving, and we think about mouthpieces
• Everyone get nervous: experience it, know what it is
• If you want to perform publicly you have to experience it - like riding a bike.
• You can have people, friend watch and hear you. Different from playing Hindermith in the practice room
• Most audiences are there to enjoy, not to criticize
• I try to think back to my youth. Now I'm not so nervous, but I get the adrenaline pumping
• When young you tend to go fast. Learn to stay on the beat.

This is very important. Means "Now". Think of the first note; do not bother about the rest.

Try to hear the note. The more you can think of the present, then you can become a musician. You can learn about timing. When playing Haydn, listen to the intro played by the orchestra. When I played my first Hummel in Japan, the orchestra started, but I kept thinking, "What is the first note?" After that experience (of negative thinking), I wrote an article in Yamaha Magazine about this.

A last thing about "present time": When you can focus on the music, you can get great phrases and flowing. I've watched famous players make mistakes, but they "reached them" (the audience).

1. deep breath (you know the music)
2. listen to the orchestra, it is a "blanket around you"
3. never "sell the music" - do some nice things even if you die on the next note

Read the "Inner Game" books (by Timothy Gallway and others - The Inner Game of Music, The Inner Game of Tennis, etc.).

When you feel nervous, don't fight it. Realize it is common. "Butterflies" means you are ready to play

 3 basics

1. Let yourself experience your body
2. Walk onto the stage with a nice presence
3. Take a comfortable deep, relaxed breath, and you're off.

The more you practice the better. Don't be afraid of challenging yourself. Better to be "supple" than beating yourself.

Remember practice is different from concert. You don't take 27 bars rest in the practice room.

A balance of rest and playing is good. Several short times are better than a long one.

Focusing on the whole piece - playing through it without playing. Like skiers who prepare for going downhill. But remember in music more emotion, not raw adrenaline like in sport.

"This is me - how I feel". Get away from it also.