advice please...how do you relieve stress before a competition

[amelialw]

Hi, as everyone knows or most of you know I will be participating in my 1st competition this Nov for 2 category's ( 1 competitive and 1 non-competitive). My teacher has been away the whole summer and now I only have 7 weeks left in total. The stress is really starting to get to me now... how do I relieve it??

[pianistimo]

i was only in one fairly non-competitve competition because the other person was wayy better than me and others far worse.  so...my advice is just to prepare what you have in a matter-of-fact way and don't get flustered if the persons who may or may not play better than you play first.

i'd prepare for this by even pretending in your mind (with a cd) that someone else has just played fantastically and you have to go next.  typically, i'd get up 1/2way through their last piece (walk the back of the stage and focus on the beginning of my first piece).  i had to get it thoroughly going in my mind before i felt comfortable enough to walk out.  and, the other persons playing had to become quite background and not really thought about. 

this ability to focus in on what you are performing and make it the most important to you at the time - gives you an edge especially at the beginning where you want to get into the piece in character and the best setting of tempo and everything else.  focus is really what you may feel more nervous about than your actual pieces.  at least it was for me. 

[ramseytheii]

Perhaps by inducing vomiting?  That way you won't puke on stage.

Walter Ramsey

[ultraviolet]

No point being stressed.  If your teacher has political connexions, you will win no matter if you play like trash.  And if your teacher is un-connected, you will lose even if you play perfectly.  So just let go.  Play for God, not for the judges.

[thalberg]

Perhaps by inducing vomiting?  That way you won't puke on stage.

Walter Ramsey

Excellent, Walter.  I might also recommend induced sweating, then you won't sweat onstage.  Ooh, and inducing mistakes, then you won't make mistakes onstage.  This could really go somewhere.

That said, I know of a girl who vomited on the piano after the first thre chords of the Tchaikovsky concerto.

[dmc]

I think you already know the answer so you don't need me to tell you (but I will anyway).

I'm sure the other contestants are equally nervous so you aren't alone.  The most successful people in all walks of life are the ones who don't care what others are doing/thinking/saying.  They know what they do well and they focus on it.  I assume you've been practicing hard & preparing for this.  Thats the part you can control so keep concentrating on that.  No point or benefit to stressing over what you can't control so block that out as best you can. 

Winning isn't as important as just doing your best.  Good things will happen if you do.   I know this all sounds corny but there's really no magic solution anyway.  I'm sure you'll do fine.

Think positive & good luck !