That's my problem these days - I can't concentrate...

well....guess I don't have to wait four more days. I just opened my email and there was the notification.

I'm in!!!


(eek! - I've never done anything like this before... )

Good, now go study!

It's a kind of matter of course, when you were not in, who would be in?
Have much fun at preparing!!

Ok!




Ok!

Congratulations! I'm so very happy for you. I thought you'd make it... the judges know good when they see it

May you have many merry hours of practicing! (But not too many! As I recently learned, do not overpractice and get a hand or arm injury. Take lots of breaks and don't get tense. ).

Thank you, Sarah. You've been cheering for me for awhile now, and I very much appreciate what you and everybody else has said a lot!

Good advice - I'll try to be careful, although I already have problems with pain so...well....at least I have a big bottle of ibuprofen at the ready!

Hi Monica,

I just wanted to say congrats to you ! I'm so glad all your hard work has turned out to be profitable.
Even if rarely post on the forum, I often come here to catch up with your news... so I'll wait for next episode now
Good luck for the second part !

Henri

Hi Henri, and thank you!

The next episode will be the hard part (all the practicing) - or maybe actually the episode after that (the competition) will the hardest. I dunno - I'm thinking that I'll be in a daze by then....

btw - I'm wondering if any members have every tried beta-blockers? A friend of mine is trying to convince me to try them. She says that taking beta-blockers among performers/musicians is more common than you think. Anyone have an opinion about this?

Monica, I had to google to know what is the beta blocker...
It's medication, thus has side effects, too, right? I wouldn't take it. I believe the self-trust is more important.

Actually, the literature says there are no side effects, plus they are non-addicting. From what I've read, beta blockers sound very tempting. Performance anxiety (stage fright) always, always, always gets the best of me! and if I can get a handle on it this one time, I would be happy. But we'll see - I'm going to talk to my doctor about it soon.

While I haven't used beta-blockers myself (yet... ) and so cannot vouch for side effects or positive improvement from using them, I do think they may be a good alternative for those who have bad stage fright. I was recently reading a book (Gerald Klickstein's Musician's Way - he has some articles on the topic here http://musiciansway.com/performance.shtml#Stress ) and the author was quite positive about using them, especially in high-stress situations (and competitions certainly count as that! ).

To avoid any suprises, I'd just try them out by using them several times while playing for family and friends; you can record the performances and critique them later so that you can know exactly how beta-blockers affect you personally.

Thanks for that information, Sarah. Also good idea about trying them out beforehand. If I go ahead with taking bb's, I'll post the results here.

Congratulations Monica! You are now at the start line of this marathon run!

I thought I'd share some relevant thoughts, without getting into pharmacology, on the topic of beta-blockers since a few musicians are already curious...

Never take beta-blockers without consulting a physician. If you're intent on using them, you have to experiment with the dosage in different situations under medical supervision, way before any performance. These medications, such as propanolol (inderal), block the adrenaline (epinephrine) receptors that cause the "fight-or-flight" response. Blocking beta receptors can cause lower heart rate, decreased force of heart contractions, bronchial constriction, uterine contractions, decrease blood pressure, decrease in tremor, and relieve migraines. If a patient has asthma, diabetes, Raynaud's Phenomena, or congestive heart failure, beta-blockers should NOT be prescribed.

The side effects are minimal when used in lower doses, but may include dry mouth, low heart rate and blood pressure, rash, cold extremities, fainting, lethargy, etc. Beta-blockers don't inhibit cognitive abilities. They don't improve your muscle timing. A musician's response may vary due to dose and/or efficacy. Peak response occurs in 1-1.5hrs, so you need to time it just right.

I've never took them or needed them myself. However, there are other options if you don't want to take medications.

A Non-Medication Approach: Redirect your anxiety in convincing yourself that you have a story to tell. Use your talent, technique, and understanding of the music to conquer the judges and audience. Identify your anxiety symptoms - sweaty palms, racing heart, shallow/rapid breathing, forgetfulness, upset stomach, etc.? For example, if you have rapid breathing or heart rate, learning relaxation techniques prior to a performance will help. Or if you have nausea or other stomach problems, taking a simple pill to calm your GI might help. Positive thoughts and reminding yourself of your strengths can reduce negative thoughts as well.

Good Luck!

Thank you, George, and thanks for the information. I'm not totally decided whether I'll try the bb's or not. But those other options you suggest don't work for me that well. I've tried!

I just want so badly to be able to play/perform as well as I can as like when I'm in my own living room. I'm very frustrated at the whole thing, so that's why I'm considering options. I have an appointment to see my doctor this coming Tuesday.

But I'm also wondering if you (or anyone else here) has ever been hypnotized? I have not and it actually that scares me more than the drugs. But at least it's natural, sort of...