11/24/2014

Hello Band Members and Parents:

Congratulations to all of the Band Members who performed at The Mint this past weekend. This was our 98th Join the Band Concert weekend. As always, it was very satisfying to see everyone performing, and it is always a pleasure to see all the support the Band Members received from their friends and families.

We had a lot of first-time JTB performers this weekend and they all did a fantastic job. Getting through your first performance is a big step in getting your “stage chops” together. The process of preparing and feeling “comfortable” with your songs is the first step. Getting on stage and putting it out there goes a long way towards building confidence and learning how to work with all the variables of live performance including: Your audience, the stage, the sound, lights, the wait-time to perform, nerves, thinking about all the “what if’s?”, working through a mistake during the performance….

A mentor and friend of mine once said to me “Worrying is like wishing for something you do not want.” I have found that to be great advice. You do not want to dwell on all the “what if’s”. If you have prepared yourself  and followed the advice of your mentors, you will be fine. Being nervous before a performance is normal. Following through with what you started is HUGE! Mistakes will happen. It happens to everyone. Even major performing acts make mistakes. I saw Eric Clapton forget the words to a song in front of 20,000 people. Guess what? He got over it. It happens. :)

The doing and the process is more important than the outcome. Of course we want everyone to have a good performance, but try to not be attached to the result. Results will get better over time. Focus on the process. Preparing, practicing, working with your teachers and mentors. There will be ups and downs. Learn to work through the plateaus in your progress.

Join the Band has put on 98 concert weekends and I have looked forward to every single one. I am always proud to watch our band members put it out there. To actually go through the process of preparing and playing a live show on a consistent basis makes you a better performer. You gain experience, confidence and an understanding of preparation.

So, give yourself a big pat on the back. You did it!   And… you will do it again. Each time it will get better and each time you will learn something new!

See you at the next show!

John Mizenko

Program Director

Join the Band