The courage to share: how vulnerability shapes confidence

Tonight is your performance, and you’re up next. You’ve been hard at work, putting in long hours, and practicing for weeks. You’ve mustered effort, consistency, patience; and you've felt frustration, happiness, anxiety, and maybe excitement too. It’s all come together for this moment.

You wait nervously near the stage, until finally your name is called. The room is full of people. You feel your palms get sweaty, your heartbeat suddenly a little louder. You’ve worked so hard. You’re nervous and excited, and it’s time to perform. You take a step forward, and with the electricity of the moment, you pick up your instrument and get ready to play.

Have you been here before?

This is a pivotal moment, and it takes enormous courage to take the next step. Why does this part often feel so difficult? Well, you might be worried about performing successfully, but it could also be the first time you’re playing in front of others, being seen – and being heard. You’re sharing what you’ve learned for the first time, and in doing so, being vulnerable. This is the key moment where you learn the confidence to express yourself, and that in itself is a big challenge! In fact, the fear of sharing can be so overwhelming that some never try it at all.

It's a curious thing. There’s endless guidance on how to become a more skilled musician, but an essential part of the process is practiced so much less: the act of sharing. It’s almost as if you’re supposed to learn your skills alone in a room, and emerge suddenly able to perform well and share easily, as if the experience of playing in front of others wasn’t entirely new.

Confidence is learned through practice. We want to help you practice that moment, to build the courage it takes to share and express yourself fearlessly. To be okay with the fact that you might make a mistake, that you'll learn from it, and you'll grow. When you can shed the fear and embrace this courage, this is when you can fully enjoy music from early practice all the way to performance — and beyond.

Embrace the journey! ✨ We hope to see you in your studio.