For performers, the book is a practical guide to building intentional and inspirational practice time, bringing true artistry to every element of a performance, and developing strong personal communication with the audience. For audiences, the book explains the vital role of the audience in a performance, revealing to them a new level of involvement and collaboration with the performer and with other members of the audience.

Through real-life examples and pre-performance exercises, this accessible manual gives musicians and other performers practical insights into every aspect of performance. While other books merely identify and describe the problems associated with performance, this book offers detailed suggestions for solving them.

Part I, Artful Practice, describes strategies to interpret and memorize compositions, fuel motivation, collaborate, and more. Part II, Fearless Performance, lifts the lid on the hidden causes of nervousness and shows how musicians can become confident performers. Part III, Lifelong Creativity, surveys tactics to prevent music-related injuries and equips musicians to tap their own innate creativity.

Nobody performs better under pressure. Regardless of the task, pressure ruthlessly diminishes our judgment, decision-making, attention, dexterity, and performance in every professional and personal arena. In this book, you are introduced to the concept of pressure management, offering empirically tested short term and long term solutions to help overcome the debilitating effects of pressure.

Learn how to transform your inner critic. Come to grips with performance nerves. Discover how to play with complete physical freedom and perform to the peak of your expressive power.