How to Prepare Your First Music Performance

Thomas Rickerby shares some useful tips to help you get the best musical performance.

While some musicians learn to play an instrument just to enjoy it in private, most do so with the intention of performing in some way. The first live performance can be overwhelming for any musician, regardless of their age, instrument, musical background, etc. The following tips can help you prepare for your first performance:

1/ Practice, practice, practice

You can never have enough practice before a performance, especially your first one. This doesn’t mean you should overwork your body and instrument (especially if you’re a singer), but regular and consistent rehearsals are key. Make sure to warm up, practice the pieces you’ll be performing, in the correct order and with the arrangement.

2/ Simulate the performance environment

If possible, try to make the rehearsal environment as similar as possible to the performance environment. For example, rehearse in a similar type of room/venue as the performance, your positioning in the performance, that is, are you standing or sitting, are you performing alone or with others? You should take all these things into consideration to familiarize yourself with the environment in which you’ll be performing.

3/ Practice mistakes and accidents

While you don’t want to make any mistakes, they happen. You should prepare for this by simulating them. For example, what happens if a string breaks, can you continue the rest of the performance? Practice playing your piece in different positions on your instrument just in case. If you’re a singer, for example, can you reproduce the melody later if you’re having a difficult day and struggling to sing in a difficult part of your range?

All these things can happen and unfortunately will happen in live performances, however, if you’ve prepared for them, you’ll feel much more confident on stage if they do.

4/ Have fun!

Remember that music is supposed to be fun and that includes playing live. While we put a lot of pressure on ourselves before and during live performances, they can and should be an enjoyable experience. If you do the necessary preparation, that should help you feel a bit more relaxed when you make your first live performance.