I am often asked by students to aid in the purchase of a newer, "better" guitar. My first question is, " Do you think that you are interested enough at this point in your studies that you will be likely to continue playing the guitar for the foreseeable future?" If they answer in the affirmative, I then ask them, "How much money are you willing to spend"? I then encourage them to spend as much money as they possibly can (or more!) so that they will appreciate enough of a difference between the new…
Read morePerformance Anxiety and Breath Awareness
SOME BASICS: Often, when we are faced with a very stressful situation, such as performing in front of a group of people, we are unaware of how we are using our breath. A common action is to either unconsciously hold the breath for long periods (not enough oxygen) or to take short, rapid breaths (too much oxygen). EITHER of these actions can trip a physical response commonly known as the "fight or flight" mechanism, which is a primal survival reaction that prepares us physically for attack or flight in the…
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