Mindfulness for Musicians
Something that I’ve always struggled with as a performing musician, and I don’t think I’m alone in this, is the ability to shut off my inner critic when it comes time to perform. Being able to judge our playing in real time is critical when it comes to practicing — we need to be able to identify our mistakes and correct them right away. But when it’s time to show the results of our practice to an audience, this same skill becomes debilitating. We can no longer afford to dwell on our mistakes, or linger on what has already been played. During a performance, what has been played already now belongs to the past. Likewise, anticipating future difficulties can be just as distracting, causing our minds to lose focus on the music making that is currently taking place and increasing the odds that we make mistakes. Indeed, all that we can afford to pay attention to in a performance is the music that is happening right now.
How can we learn to stop our mind from wandering in a performance? How can we maintain focus moment to moment, without getting caught up in the moments that have already happened or the moments that are yet to come? Well, for me, the practice of mindfulness and meditation has been invaluable to this end. When I cultivate stillness by meditating, even for just a few minutes a day, I notice a large improvement in my ability to stay in the moment when performing. It has also clamed my nerves when playing considerably. Not to mention the multitude of ways the practice has improved other areas of my life.
The beauty of mindfulness is that it can be done anywhere, in almost any situation, and for as long or as short as you have time for. All it requires is for you to pay attention to all of the details of the moment, without attempting to exert influence over the things that are currently happening and without struggling against them. Simply stay in the moment and experience it as it happens, and acknowledge your thoughts and impulses without acting upon them. If your mind starts to wander, thinking about the past or the future, gently bring it back to the present moment. To do this, it is helpful to focus on your breathing, how it feels, where it originates, its frequency, etc. You can also try a technique called square breathing: Take a deep breath in through your nose for 4-8 seconds, hold your breath for 4-8 seconds, breathe out through your mouth for 4-8 seconds, wait another 4-8 seconds before breathing in again. You can practice mindfulness meditation while sitting down, walking, or even lying in bed (it’s a great way to fall asleep before bedtime). You can spend as little as a couple minutes on it or hours. Try just 15 minutes. When you feel that it is time to stop, try to continue for just a little while longer. Hopefully you find this practice as helpful as I have!
If you want a great introduction to mindfulness, I highly recommend Jon Kabbat-Zinn’s book: Wherever You Go There You Are.
