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Stage Fright Fall down as you come onstage. Thats an odd trick. Not recommended. But it saved the pianist Vladimir Feltsman when he was a teenager back in Moscow. The veteran cellist Mstislav Rostropovich tripped him purposely to cure him of pre-performance panic,Mr. Feltsman said, All my fright was gone. I already fell. What else could happen? Today, music schools are addressing the problem of anxiety in classes that deal with performance techniques and career preparation. There are a variety of strategies that musicians can learn to fight stage fright and its symptoms:icy fingers, shaky limbs ,racing heart,blank mind. Teachers and psychologists offer wide-ranging advice, from basics like learning pieces inside out, to mental discipline, such as visualizing a performance and taking steps to relax. Dont deny that youre jittery ,they urge; some excitement is natural, even necessary for dynamic playing. And play in public often, simply for the experience. Psychotherapist Diane Nichols suggests some strategies for the moments before performance, Take two deep abdominal breaths, open up your shoulders, then smile, she says. And not one of these please dont kill me smiles. Then choose three friendly faces in the audience, people you would communicate with and make music to, and make eye contact with them. She doesnt want performers to think of the audience as a judge. | 
