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From Potential to Performance

Practicing tips for musicians

FOCUS
What should you do with your mind – with your conscious
attention – whilst practicing, or whilst performing? What
kinds of focus help to learn or to stay engaged on stage?
The mind is often busy with analysis, judgment, comparing
yourself to others, wondering what others think of you, not
making mistakes, or about the outcome of your
performance. Learning to control your focus will affect the
efficiency and effectiveness of your learning and your
ability to stay in the moment whilst playing.

Focus (PA)
Focusing on something could be described as submerging oneself
in what one is doing. This means that the outside world disappears
from one’s conscious mind and the focus turns more and more
towards the actual task. 

A musician needs different types of focus for different situations.

Playing solo requires a more narrow type of focus than playing in
an ensemble or an orchestra where you have to be aware of what
other musicians are doing. 

The best way to practice focussing is to try to focus on what you

are doing and be present in the moment. In your practice, if you let
your thoughts wander it also becomes harder to focus in
performance situations. Breathing and relaxation techniques are
good concentration exercises and can be used alongside mental
training techniques. 

It is essential to realize that we need different ways of focussing

for different situations. Whilst practicing happens mainly on a
conscious level, in a performance situation you should focus mainly
on the musical communication. Thinking too much about technical
details, such as how fingerings and bowings go, creates a self-
focussed performance and limits communication. When you are
under pressure your focus will naturally turn to your inner
thoughts rather than projecting the musical intention. If you lose
focus in a performance, you can concentrate on touch or
movement and you can use inner hearing or singing the music
inside your head. 

How do we explain focus? (WK)

Musicians (both pupils, students and professional musicians) are
supposed to focus at any time and at any place. However,
describing what focus is, appears to be quite hard. When talking
about focus, many different words and phrases are used, amongst
which are concentration; over-concentration; focus; attention;
awareness; consciousness; to be in the here and now and to be
present and mindful. 

Different methods and techniques use different ways to define

focus. In Alexander Technique they make a difference between
inclusive awareness (on only one focus point) and exclusive
awareness (on more than one focus point). In sports psychology
several models are used, for example the Attentional Personal
Styles by Robert Nideffer (1976) or the Circles of Attention by
Hans Eberspächer (1990). In motor learning, a difference is made
between internal focus (on the body) and external focus (on
anything else but the body, including mental representations). 

Read more:
Shut up ’n play yer guitar (article)

Focus in the brain (WK)

Focus is firstly the ability of our brain to make us notice something.
For example, we pay attention to the conductor in the orchestra.
We can then keep noticing (keep our focus), we can shift our focus
to something else or we can lose our focus (we drift away).
Scientists believe that the ability to focus is an important
mechanism for survival. We experience a great part of our daily life
on a unconscious level. For example, we don’t notice people that
are standing next to us in the tram unless something is drawn to
our attention. The most basic function of focussing is the brain’s
ability to draw our attention to possible danger. In language we
have several sayings that indicate these meanings, ‘to raise our
antennae’ or ‘to burn our ears’. The more dangerous the possible
threat seems to be, the higher our focus. We can then talk about
concentration. 

Focus and concentration are direct results of activities in the brain.

Noticing the outside world is primarily connected to the use of our
senses. Our senses provide information to our brain, about the
outside world (our special senses: vision, hearing, taste and smell)
and about our own body (touch, proprioception, kinesthesis or
body awareness). In our brain, specific parts ‘organize’ the focus,
for example the intraparietal sulcus on the left side of the brain and
some parts in the top of our frontal lobes. Damages to these parts
of the brain have an effect on the ability to focus. 

Focus and the use of our senses

(WK)
When we focus, neural activity in the brain can be seen in those
brain parts that organize focus, as well as in the sensory parts, like
the visual or aural cortex. Interestingly enough, through time, the
ability to focus has developed into an extra function which is the
possibility to imagine. For example, when we think about an apple,
many sensory parts in the brain show neural activity. We create an
image on a visual level (colour, shape), about the taste and smell,
about the experience of the surface, about how heavy the apple is
etc. When we say we ‘think’ about the apple, we actually focus on
the imagery of the apple, a so -called ‘representation’. In music,
representations are extremely important, as that is what we
activate when we use our ability to focus on the music. From this
viewpoint, focus is mainly a non-verbal activity. 

Task focus (WK)

Being able to focus makes it possible to direct the use of our brain
in a specific way, for example, during practicing or performing. This
is what we call task focus. Task focus makes it possible to enforce
specific neural activity which can create new neural connections or
strenghten existing connectivity (= learning).  Also, specific neural
activity makes it possible to receive a certain result (to perform).
That’s why we say that proper practicing and performing cannot be
done without (task) focus. There are many reasons why the brain is
not always able to focus, for example, when we are tired or hungry.
Also, there is a biological limitation to the amount of time we can
keep our focus.

The circles of Attention by

Hans Eberspächer (WK)
German sports psychologist Hans Eberspächer (1990) describes
what or where sportsmen can focus on (or pay attention).

1. Me and my task
2. Direct distractions
 3. It is versus should be distractions 
4. Winning / losing
5. Consequences of winning / losing 
6. Question of essence: what am I doing here? 

The model of Eberspächer is used as a tool for training task focus.

As long as athletes focus on their role in the game, they are fine.
Changing the focus to anything else is a distraction, even if it is as
close (in team sports) as the opponent. Instead of focusing on the
opponent, it would be better to focus on the ball and where the ball
should go (the goal or the team players). The higher the number of
the circle of attention, the more the focus has drifted away from
the original task. 

The circles and music making

(WK)
Over  the last few years, I have adapted the model by Eberspächer
to making music. I choose to do so because I felt that although
music making is as well about optimal performance as sports, it is
usually not about winning or losing, unless of course we attend
competitions or auditions. Learning new repertoire, which will
continue lifelong, is a typical aspect of being a musician, as is
performing on stage and communicating with an audience. This all
asks for different definitions. These are the adapted circles: 

1. Conscious awareness
2. Verbal: instructions, analysis and reflection
3. Oh no
4. The environment
5. The past and the future
6. Question of essence: what am I doing here? 

Print out:
Alice in the Circles
The circles explained (WK)
1) Conscious awareness
With conscious awareness we pay attention to or focus on what
we want to learn or how we want to perform. Attention or focus is
primarily achieved by consciously using our senses. Listening to a
certain sound, feeling a part of our body, looking at the conductor,
are ways to explain and find focus and attention and are primarily
non-verbal activities. Next to this sensory activity, representations
and experiencing emotions are part of circle 1 as well. 

2)  Verbal: instructions, analysis and reflection

In the 2nd circle the use of thinking helps us to find the focus for
practising and performing (circle 1). With thinking is meant:
verbalising, using words. In circle 2 we verbalize the choice of
focus: I want to listen to a certain sound, I want to feel a part of my
body, I will look at the conductor.* *

3) Oh no
The difference between the thinking in circle 2 and circle 3 is
judgement. In circle 2, the thinking is based on a ‘to do’ instruction,
analysis and reflections. In circle 3, the thinking is not instructive
but subjective. ‘Oh no, that was wrong! It was out of tune!’ *Most of
the time the judgements will be negative, as many students regard
making mistakes as failure. *Some students wrongly assume that
criticism can only be done in circle 3. However, circle 1 can be even
more critical, as sensory observation (listening, watching or feeling
the body) offers clear and objective information about the actual
playing. 

4) The environment
In this circle musicians worry what passers-by might think of their
practising or what their teacher might think of their progress. On
stage musicians worry how the audience or jury might judge their
playing or they pay attention to the acoustics of the hall. 
5) The past and the future
In circle 5 musicians keep thinking about how they should have
acted differently in the past (I should have started practising this
piece much earlier…) and they worry about coming concerts,
auditions and exams as well as about the future as a whole.

6) Question of essence: what am I doing here?

Although all circles, specially in a non-negative use, offer
interesting food for thought, the goal is to only be in circle 1 during
music making. Circle 1 and 2 are vital during the practising process.
Therefore it is necessary to recognize the different circles and  to
learn to switch between circle 1 and 2. 

Read more:
Shut up ’n play yer guitar (article)

Focus context
Focus Contexts (GM)
Practice strategies will vary depending on whether the student is
focussing on learning a piece, striving to achieve depth, speed and
continuity, consolidating elements already learned, or preparing
for performance. Different priorities will apply to these practice
situations, and when students have a ‘toolbox’ of learning
strategies, they can reflect and apply these in an independent and
succesful way.  

The necessary dialogue and reflection on the learning techniques

themselves is often overshadowed by the discussion on how to
play a particular piece in the repertoire. Focusing of ‘learning to
learn’ is important because the student can then take a greater
responsibility  for their own development. 
At the other end of the spectrum, performance focus requires a
different set of preparation strategies, which range from securing
memory work to developing physical and mental stamina and
learning to use  tools such as visualisation and communication. The
ultimate goal is finding an optimal balance between self expression
and faithfulness to the musical text in order to bring the music to
life.

Also see:
Structuring Practice

Focus and the learning timeline

(WK)
Focus and learning are closely connected. For practicing
(deliberate learning) we need focus, so, neural activity creates new
connectivity, strengthens existing connections or provides result in
performing. The type of focus and the amount of focus depends on
the stage of the learning process. When learning something new
(new repertoire, new skills or new interpretational ideas), full focus
is needed to activate a certain part of the brain. When, by
practicing, the new network strengthens and works ‘by itself’
(internalized), less or no focus is anymore required. This is the
essence of acquiring automatisms. For performing, another type of
focus is needed: focus that makes our brain deliver results. During
learning, internal focus is quite essential to musicians. However, for
performing, internal focus will not necessarily provide the highest
result.

Also see:
Learning

Read more:
Practice modes
Shut up ’n play yer guitar (article)
Types of focus
Focus preparation (WK)
A common unconscious ‘bad habit’ for music pupils and students, is
to start to play the instrument without proper mental preparation.
Often this lack of preparation causes a lower result then expected
or intended. Preparation focus means we deliberately activate a
specific task focus, so we activate our neural networks necessary
for our instrumental playing. In the moment, this takes time.
According to practitioners it takes a few seconds. A good starting
rule can be to prepare focus points on four elements: being aware
of the concert hall or practice room around us, looking for body
awareness, feeling the pulse of the music and mentally inner
singing the music. In additon to this, any  task focus can be added. 

Flow and focus (EN)

Did you know that our minds usually wander away from our tasks
about 50% of the time? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to be
so immersed in your practice that you remain focussed, energised
and on task? Every musician can remember the feeling they have
had when they are so completely absorbed and focussed on their
music-making that the everyday world disappeared from their
awareness. They also know what it is like to feel distracted and lose
focus and have too much ‘mind chatter’ while playing. When we are
in flow or ‘in the zone’ we are focussed in the present and all
thoughts about the past or worries about the future disappear - we
feel at one with our instrument and the music. 

Train your mind to focus

To have more of these wonderful feelings of flow you can train your
mind to have clear intentions so that you maintain focus and avoid
distraction. You can do this by focussing on the most immediate
sensory and expressive elements. These elements give you
something to focus on that you can get feedback from in the exact
moment of sound creation - the feedback is not delayed like it
usually is in every day life. For example, you can focus on the subtle
feelings of your fingers on the keys or strings as you listen to the
notes or your breath going through the instrument across a phrase
or the vibration of the strings as you manipulate the bow. If your
mind wanders away while practising or you start over-thinking,
gently bring your focus back to what you would like to achieve and
pay attention to the subtle sensations of the body and the
expressive feelings that are happening in the exact moment of
playing.

Focus with flow questions

When you are relaxed then you can focus more easily, so before
playing relax your body with whole body movements such as
gentle walking or tai chi movements. Avoid beginning your practice
with repetitious, mindless activities, instead play easy and fun
music while you turn your attention to enjoyable and achievable
sensory and expressive goals. As you do this, ask yourself non-
judgemental, open questions such as: ‘What can I feel as I play?’ 
and ‘What is the expressive purpose of this passage?’ These types
of flow questions give you something specific to focus on and get
immediate feedback from in the moment. 

Check your focus regularly

Practising is a continuous process of setting goals, working
towards them and overcoming them. Choosing appropriate and
realistic goals is crucial to maintaining your focus and getting into
and remaining in flow.  To check that your goals are ‘just-right’
during practice, ask yourself regularly, ‘What am I focussing on
now?’ and ‘Do I need to change my focus?’ Training your mind to
focus during practice not only helps you to learn more and enjoy
your practice, but also enables you to maintain a strong focus in
performance. To develop this habit and discover what works best
for you, apply the sensory and expressive flow focus points during
practice and enjoy the feeling of being immersed in the present
moment!

Also see:
Goals 
Keys to motivation

Read more:
The Flow Music Method (article)

Chocolate flow practice fun! (article)

Print out:
Flow tips
Flow focus loop
Flow practice checklist

Focus (SW)
One of the most important questions for a musician in the practice
room and on stage is: “What should I focus on?” This determines
whether the cognitive and unconscious parts of the brain are
functioning efficiently and in harmony with each other. As playing
music relies on the motor cortex and not the conscious cognitive
mind, many suffer from trying to ‘control’ the movements of their
body consciously. The solution to this problem is to engage the
conscious mind in what it does best: imagine. Focus on what you
want the music to sound like – in as much detail and with as much
nuance as possible.

Internal and external focus of

attention
Sports psychology has shown in the last 15 years, the importance
of an external focus of attention.  It has been found that by
focusing on the result of the body’s movements will bring about a
better performance and more enhanced learning that by focusing
on how to make the movement. This is the same for musicians. The
external focus for a musician is the imagination of the desired
sound and phrase, or even, the meaning and expression behind the
music.
Although making music is a motor activity, the way to master it is
through focussing on the music itself (external focus) and not on
the individual muscles and parts of the body (internal focus).
Arnold Jacobs explains it is better to focus on the imagination of
the ideal music: “… get your mind off the body and allow the bio-
computer part of the brain to control bodily adaptation by
developing conditioned reflexes”. Psychologists have found that
individuals tend to choose a lower (more internal) level of focus
during a performance (perhaps due to being careful) and this
results in a less optimal performance. The more expert the
performer, the more external the focus needs to be.

Anticipation
Great brass pedagogue Arnold Jacobs said “Listen to “ideal music”
while playing; don’t listen to yourself”. This is a surprising and
counter-intuitive suggestion. Try it out before you make a
judgement. Jacobs understood the power of anticipatory auditory
imagery and audiation. “The sound in the mind will eventually train
the body… When playing, the musical product should be the
motivating factor.” It is more effective to focus on artistry than
bodily mechanics, as we can’t control each muscle and movement.
The mechanism needed to play music is far too complex to be
controlled consciously. (See audiation, external focus)

Practicing musical intention -

Audiation
Being able to hear the music in your mind – inner hearing – is a
very important attribute for any musician. Those who are capable
of rich auditory imagery have a distinct advantage, as this is the
message the conscious brain sends to the motor learning parts of
the brain and to the body. Imagery improves with practice!
Auditory imagery is imagining the sound. To have a sense of the
music as something to say or communicate involves understanding
meaning and pattern in the sounds. This is called audiation.
Audiation is a term coined by Edwin Gordon in 1975 and refers to
the ability to understand the meaning of a phrase or musical piece.
This enables one to be able to predict patterns in unfamiliar music,
thus experiencing music as a language. Gordon argues that
auditory imagery (or inner hearing) is imitation and therefore a
product and that audiation is a process. In order to audiate,
Gordon believes a musician must be able to do the following:

Sing what they have played

Play a variation of the melody
Play it in a different key, tonality or different fingerings 
Demonstrate with body movements the phrases of the melody

Audiation is an important concept, which can aid both the learning

of new skills, improving what you have and also for performance.
By focusing on the result of what you want to achieve (i.e.
imagining the ‘ideal’ phrase and what it is expressing) you are more
likely to play in a coordinated and efficient way (see external
focus). For an idea of how you can practice by using audiation try
APT (Audiation Practice Tool). This is simply based on the above
definition.

Instructions for practicing with APT:

Imagine the phrase/motif you are about to play with as much
nuance as you can evoke (pitch, tone quality, volume, articulation,
transition from one note to another…)
Sing and gesture the phrase/motif dramatically 
Play the phrase
Play another version(s) of the phrase
Repeat the procedure with a new phrase/motif
Be aware of singing and gesturing as dramatically as you can!

Focus limitations (WK)

During practicing, it is not always possible to maintain a certain
level of focus. There are many reasons for this, depending on
different aspects.  Being focused asks for a lot of brain energy, and
on a daily basis, at a certain level, this energy can be lacking. Our
brain needs 25% of our oxygen supply and about 20% of our
glucose both provided through blood circulation and the neuroglia.
Logically, this cannot last forever. Also, the brain seems to have
difficulty keeping  energy for a longer time on one network. The
ability to focus for a long time also depends on the job you need to
do. During learning more energy is required then during playing
through our music. On average, musicians might think of a focus
span of 8 hours a day including long enough breaks, which then
results in 4 hours of practising. During practising, it is
recommended to observe the focus, which might drift away quite
often. When this happens, it is recommended to change subject, to
take a (short or longer) break or to do some physical activity. 

Also see:
Planning 
Time management
Physical Aspects of Planning

Mental Aspects of Planning