ABSTRACT

Achieving Peak Performance in Music: Psychological Strategies for Optimal Flow is a unique and comprehensive exploration of flow in music performance. It describes the optimal performance experiences of great musicians and outlines ten psychological steps that can be implemented to facilitate and enhance optimal experience.

Achieving Peak Performance in Music reveals strategies used by experts to prepare themselves emotionally, cognitively, and physically for performance. Combining this information with research carried out amongst professional performers and knowledge gained from decades of study and research by psychologists on how to achieve a positive experience, the book guides readers on a pathway towards optimal performance. Using everyday language, it presents invaluable practical guidance and a toolbox of strategies to help with all aspects of performance, including memorisation, visualisation, focus, performance anxiety, thought management, motivation, and pre-performance routines.

Based on psychological research, the book shares practical knowledge invaluable to music students, parents, and amateur and professional musicians. The strategies on performance provided are applicable to every type of performance, from a student exam to a gig or a concert, making Achieving Peak Performance in Music a significant resource for anyone looking to achieve peak performance.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|9 pages

Music performance

chapter 2|9 pages

What flow feels like

How musicians describe being in flow

chapter 3|16 pages

How musicians prepare for peak performance

Ten steps to flow

chapter 4|32 pages

Managing your emotions

chapter 5|17 pages

Managing your thoughts

chapter 6|23 pages

Motivation

chapter 7|15 pages

Concentration and focus

chapter 9|14 pages

Calming the body and mind

chapter 10|11 pages

Pre-performance routines

chapter 11|15 pages

Putting it all together