Why Do I Get Nervous When I Perform?

If you’ve ever played beautifully at home but then found yourself freezing the moment someone else was listening, you’re certainly not alone.

Performance anxiety affects almost every musician at some point.

Your hands tighten.

Your breathing changes.

Your mind starts racing.

Suddenly, mistakes appear that never seem to happen when you’re practising by yourself.

But why?

For years I assumed it was because I wasn’t good enough.

Music eventually taught me something very different.

It wasn’t the audience making me nervous.

It wasn’t the music.

And it wasn’t even the possibility of playing a wrong note.

What I discovered was that I wasn’t responding to the present moment at all.

I was responding to memories.

Old performances.

Old criticisms.

Old mistakes.

Old stories that my mind quietly replayed every time I stepped in front of other people.

Music has a remarkable way of revealing how much of life is lived through the filter of the past.

The fascinating thing is that every note only exists once.

The note you played a moment ago has already disappeared.

Yesterday’s mistake has disappeared.

Even yesterday’s success has disappeared.

The only note you’ll ever truly play is the one that’s beneath your fingers right now.

Perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts music offers.

It gently invites us back into the present.

Not by forcing us to become fearless...

...but by helping us notice the stories we’ve been believing.

When we begin questioning those stories instead of automatically obeying them, something beautiful happens.

The music begins to play itself again.

Performance becomes less about proving ourselves...

...and more about simply sharing what’s already here.

In this week’s episode of Music Is Medicine, I explore why we become nervous when we perform, how our past quietly shapes what we hear, and why returning our attention to the present may be one of the greatest skills any musician can develop.

If this reflection resonates with you, I’d love to invite you to join our growing Mat Creedon School of Music community.

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