Performance Guru

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

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 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.

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.