Performance Guru

One of the most common questions performers ask is how to remain "in the zone" throughout a performance.

Interestingly, the act of checking whether we're still focused can itself change the direction of our attention.

Rather than trying to preserve a particular mental state, performers often benefit from returning attention to the next phrase, movement, intention or task.

The aim is not to hold on to the "zone", but to remain engaged with the performance itself.

My latest article for The Strad is now available online.

The article examines mindfulness in performance and considers some of the assumptions that have developed around its role in high-performance settings.

My thanks to The Strad for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion.

I'm pleased to see the article now available to a wider readership.

Incorporating a mindful attitude into our music practice and performance, and into everyday life, brings many benefits. Berenice Beverley Zammit explores its transformative potential – link in comments 🎻

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Performance Guru

One of the less frequently discussed experiences in performance is the feeling that something familiar suddenly feels unfamiliar.

Performers often describe moments in which the music, the repertoire and the performance feel quite different to practice.

Yet the subjective experience of performing and the objective quality of performance do not always align.

Understanding that distinction can help performers interpret pressure more accurately and respond more effectively when it arises.

This week I had the opportunity to speak for BAPAM and the Royal Society of Musicians on performance under pressure.

The discussion brought together musicians, teachers, therapists, and counsellors, leading to a range of thoughtful questions about how performers experience pressure.

One question in particular reflected a challenge familiar to many performers:

"What can performers do when they begin to panic during a performance?"

It highlights an important aspect of performance psychology. While considerable attention is often given to preparation before performance, performers also benefit from developing strategies that help them respond effectively when pressure arises during performance itself.

Thank you to BAPAM - British Association for Performing Arts Medicine and The Royal Society of Musicians for the invitation, and to everyone who contributed to such an engaging discussion.

A misconception about elite performance is that high-level performers feel consistently confident.

In practice, many professional musicians, professional dancers, actors and athletes experience uncertainty before important performances.

What often differentiates them is not the absence of doubt, but their relationship with it.

A common reaction to pressure is to increase effort. Which seems logical.

Yet many performers discover that greater control does not always produce better performance.

Sometimes, the more useful question is not "How can I try harder?" but "What am I interfering with that normally works?"

A common experience among serious performers is becoming mentally attached to a single mistake while the performance is still unfolding.

The difficulty is not always the error itself.

The difficulty is continuing to perform while part of your attention remains focused on what has already happened.

This pattern becomes especially relevant in auditions, examinations, and high-stakes performance environments.

One of the most confusing experiences in performance is suddenly doubting something that felt reliable only days or even hours earlier.

Many performers assume this means they have lost ability.

Often they have not.

Pressure can alter trust long before it alters skill.

This distinction becomes increasingly important in conservatoire, audition, and professional performance settings where small changes in confidence can have disproportionate effects on decision-making.

Consistency is often misunderstood as simply repeating successful ex*****on.

But maintaining high-level performance across changing psychological conditions is a far more demanding process.

Pressure, fatigue, uncertainty, and evaluation can all alter access to already-developed skill. This is why performers may sometimes produce excellent performances, yet struggle to reproduce them reliably under different conditions.

Consistency is not passive repetition. It is active regulation.

A common experience among performers is suddenly doubting things that felt reliable only moments earlier.

A passage that felt secure in practice can suddenly feel uncertain in a lesson, audition, competition, or performance. Many performers interpret this as a loss of ability.

Often, however, the skill itself has not disappeared.

What may have changed is the performer's trust in that skill.

This distinction is important because the strategies needed to address a loss of ability are often very different from those needed to address a loss of trust.

In my latest newsletter, I explore why performers can suddenly stop trusting themselves under pressure and what this can tell us about performance consistency in high-stakes settings.

The full article is available here:

Performance Guru Dr Berenice Beverley Zammit Performance Under Pressure