Practice
to
Performance
Playing music in front of others is a skill we all have to work on and develop. Being able to write and create, to play an instrument and sing, is usually not an outcome that just magically comes about. And neither is the ability to do these things in front of others.
You need skills to deal with all of the mental, physical, and emotional responses that are going on before and during your own musical and creative process.
Why is it difficult to perform in front of an audience?
Well, because we usually try to do it alone, in our heads. It is uncomfortable to address our patterns of:
But the great news is, these are patterns. And this really is great news! If we learn to see and understand our own patterns, we can begin to learn from them and take action to do things differently moving forward. In addition to all of the technical skills and knowledge we need to create and play music, we need skills to deal with all of the mental, physical, and emotional responses that are going on before and during our own musical and creative process.
The internal dialogue and chatter is something all of us have. It is a narrative we have been playing on a loop for a long time. We really only begin to address it once we become more aware of the process and understand how it affects and sabotages our ability to create, finish our songs, and record and play our music in front of others.
You can imagine how many times I’ve had people say, “I play much better at home!” Or, “I don’t know what’s happening. I had all this down, and then I come in here and it falls apart!” This is the workshop you’ve been asking for!
Workshop Format
I have spent my life as a professional musician and instructor, beginning at age 17. As an artist, songwriter, touring, and recording guitarist, and co-producer, I have had to learn to deal with my own internal narrative that has affected my own personal, creative, and musical growth.
Working within a group is a great way to prepare yourself for playing your music in front of friends, co-writing, recording, playing a writer’s round, going on tour, or whatever it is you want to do with your music. And, the benefits of this growth and integration will carry over into other areas of our lives. That is a dividend that is immeasurable.
The goal is to have members of the group bring in music they want to get more comfortable and confident performing. That’s it! The group will serve as a place to prepare to play your music more consistently for yourself, live, or in the studio. I will also bring in guests from time to time to share their experiences and insights.
This music workshop will be a place where we will move from the one-on-one format of private lessons to a group setting. We will talk and share openly about performance issues, learn skills to address them and have a place to practice these new skills. Just like learning to do anything else, we need repetition coupled with intention. If we aren’t putting ourselves in situations where we can grow, we won’t grow. It’s that simple. Being curious about what comes up for us in these situations requires us to show up, be vulnerable, observe ourselves, and integrate the information.
There isn’t a prerequisite for this workshop. It is probably best suited for anyone that has been working on writing and performing for a bit and running into some blocks or resistance. That being said, it is open to everyone wanting to move forward in their musical growth.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP DATES
WORKSHOP
June 2023
June 29th, 7-9 PM
workshop
July 2023
July 27th, 7-9 PM
workshop
August 2023
August 31st, 7-9 PM
workshop
September 2023
September 28th, 7-9 PM
workshop
October 2023
October 26th, 7-9 PM
workshop
December 2023
December 14th, 7-9 PM