How Musicians Can Control Stage Fright: Peter Desberg

More than one third of all major orchestral musicians (and they are really good players) take pills to keep their hands from shaking when they perform. You've probably experienced the fact that sometimes your guitar or sax seems so effortless to play that you totally lose yourself in the music and you understand why you became a musician. But there are those awful times when you feel so self-conscious and insecure that your fingers feel like they're made of wood and you question doing this for the rest of your life. Is it because your teacher is in the room, or a well-known musician you want to work with is there? This presentation will help you understand what happens to your thinking, your body, and your emotions when you experience stage fright, and more importantly, what you can do to control it. It is based on proven techniques taken from neuroscience, sports psychology, cognitive science, and the psychology of music that will be synthesized in a way that is much more interesting than the boring way that it is being described here.

Peter Desberg

One out of every hundred and fifty people in America bought a copy of a joke book that Peter Desberg has written. Unfortunately, Scholastic sold the most popular one for $1.00 each so he still has to work. So...he is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of stage fright. His practice includes work with many high-profile musicians, athletes, actors, standup comedians, and public speakers who are regularly confronted with massive cases of stage fright. He has published 20 books and numerous research monographs and journal articles and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences. He also has been moonlighting as a full professor at California State University Dominguez Hills for over 30 years, where he has received the Outstanding Professor and Distinguished Teaching awards during his tenure. He has done extensive research on stage fright and performance anxiety. He is currently working on a new book for musicians and athletes on the physical side of stage fright. No stranger to media, for ten years he hosted his own cable TV show. In the area of stage fright, he has done many radio and television interviews and is frequently quoted in national publications including the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, the Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today and Cosmopolitan.