...nerves...

I finished the skirt! It took all morning, but I got it done. I also dusted, straightened, cleaned, organized - all things I do when I want to avoid the inevitable. Today's inevitable was getting ready for tomorrow's big performance.

Over the years, I've discovered that I get more nervous when my students perform than when I perform myself. I've decided this is because I can't jump in and save them. Should they fall, they will fall, and all I can do is love them in the aftermath. And while failing is a great lesson to learn, it's still pretty devastating for tiny hearts.

Tomorrow's day will consist of classes in the morning, after which I will head to the performance hall for two performances. I will MC, accompany, and encourage. I will dry some eyes, wipe some noses, remind some of notes, and remind all to smile. And when it's all over, I will tell them how wonderful they are (because, no matter what, they really are wonderful!)

Needless to say, I spent the rest of today, typing up all I would say and making sure I had everyone's ensemble instrument and part written down. I then ran through the whole program in my mind to find any areas that needed fine tuning, any areas that might need to be reworked because there might be a problem. And when my head began to hurt too much I would take a break and clean the house.

I recently read an article on performance anxiety which states that getting excited helps a performer more than trying to calm down. Most of us are lying when we try to convince our brains that we're calm. But if take the negative emotion of anxiety, and replace it with a positive emotion of excitement, our brain and body can be tricked into believing the positive due to the similarities between the two emotions. Check out the article here, and the study here.

So my clothes are laid out. My lunch is prepared. My alarm is set. And I'm excited!

How have you dealt with your own nerves in the past?

(On a super fun note: One mom emailed me and told me that her 6 year old asked her to buy him a bow tie for his performance tomorrow. We'll see if she could find one on such short notice.)