“I made progress I never thought would be possible with this problem; I have moved forward to a performance class with tools to address my anxiety.” Performance anxiety — better known among musicians as stage fright — is a universal experience for performing artists. It may be so severe that the musician fears the fear and begins to miss opportunities for work, or it may be transient and hide from view until the anxiety hits directly before a performance. There are many causes, although fear of failure or humiliation is the most obvious. Symptoms may include heart palpitations, sweating, and shaky voice and/or hands on an instrument. Some people handle the problem with medication, while others prefer to address it psychologically. This course approaches anxiety issues didactically with lectures on how the brain processes fear from both psychoanalytic and behavioral points of view. In addition, there are opportunities for each individual to play or sing “in the fear” in the safe environment of a classroom and develop the tools to manage and reduce their fear. Not subject to N.Y. Philharmonic discount.
