Yesterday for the first time in my life I did a solo musical performance. The experience contained a huge surprise: nervousness.
Had I merely been speaking to a crowd there would have been no nervousness. On many occasions I’ve spoken, without nervousness, to diverse audiences:
- radio audiences during four years of being a DJ at KORT, Grangeville, Idaho and KYME, Boise, Idaho
- theater audiences, notably as a bawd (pimp in modern terms) banging on the edge of the stage and giving a monologue
- crowds of home brewers at meetings of the Oregon Brew Crew
- a congregation of strangers when the pastor asked if someone from the large group of visitors could please rise and share why we had come to services on that morning
Nah, when it comes to speaking I’ll rise up and calmly address an audience with prepared or ad lib remarks. No problem.
Put a clarinet in my hands, ask that I perform a simple tune (or with a great animation) and then I get all quivery. Quivery enough to muff the most well rehearsed, down pat sections of the piece. Public musical performance, unlike public speaking, is outside of my comfort zone.
What a surprise.
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