How many times have you been on stage, and seen yourself appear different from when you are naturally being yourself, and off-stage?

Performing is no ordinary activity, even if you do it week in, week out, because to be at your peak and to deliver 150% at your highest potential, you need to have lots of practice and preparation under your sleeves!

I admit, its hard to practice when youre in front of the mirror or just with yourself it just isnt the same as if you were with people or on stage. No matter how much you sing or drum to yourself in front of the mirror, it doesnt come close to the real thing so my simple tip here for best practice and preparation, is that once you properly know the pieces you are performing, get yourself in front of some mics and begin playing in a big space that way.

Oh, and another big thing to check up on before performing, is to make sure youve rehearsed with your band, instead of just appearing and trying to play together. How many times have you seen that go wrong? They may play well individually, but without practice to gel together will it really work? Rehearsal is the next best thing to actually being there as long as you make effective use of your time...

Also, when youre rehearsing with your band one of the most biggest things that most musicians miss out is this to work on the elements of performance beyond playing their individual instruments together. Ensure you work on movements, gestures, interactions with other band members, talk between songs, taking the mic off the stand, running out into the audience. Such things may seem really simple but there not ordinary behaviour so make sure you get some vital practice and preparation in. Future newsletters may include resources to developing these skills effectively.

Its also great to assess how well prepared you are mentally for the event. I use a set of questions that I came up with to assess my own readiness to perform, and Id like to share them with you.

Kavit Haria, The Musicians Coach