How to Win. He's now at work on a second, more detailed study, Seven Steps to Performing Your Best . Nailing the audition . Much of Greene's work, particularly with students, focuses on mental preparation for auditions, those very high-stress moments when competitive edge is needed. Athletes get a lot of this training early.
People get negative under stress.
The things we normally and instinctively do aren't helpful. When a student asked how Greene felt about Enderol and other anxiety-reducing drugs, it gave him a perfect opportunity to talk about alternative methods of dealing with anxiety. A good performance takes energy, and you can learn to channel that energy. Centering involves relaxation and breath control, and it helps musicians focus on their own work, rather than on what others think of them or on all the things that might go wrong. In right-brain mode, people perceive the whole rather than dissecting things, and they picture themselves doing well.