Stage presence tips for pianists
It wasn’t until I taught at a summer arts camp that I saw the problem clearly: the dancers moved on stage with confidence. The actors walked on as if they owned the room. The pianists? They slunk, shuffled, and slouched to the piano, heads down, faces grim. That was the moment I knew I had to do a better job teaching students the fine art of stage presence.
Stage presence doesn’t come naturally to most pianists. In childhood we’re taught little more than how and when to bow. Beyond that, too many of us were expected to just know how to walk well on stage, or how to address the audience. To further complicate things, many pianists are shy people who don’t feel comfortable on stage, regardless of how much they enjoy sharing music with other people. I’d like to say that poor stage presence is confined to the young, but having recently attended a couple of recitals given by professionals, I’m sorry to report that even the pros aren’t always graceful on stage.
Great stage presence isn’t about making pianists look great. Stage presence is for the audience. We think our performance starts the moment we touch the keys. In reality, it begins the second we appear on stage. Every step, every movement, every word we utter is part of the concert experience for our audience. It’s our job to give our listeners confidence in our performance before we reach the piano bench. That doesn’t mean we all need to sweep on stage like Liberace, but it does require us to take the time to learn how to be effective communicators—even when we’re not playing a note.
I learned stage presence not from my piano mentors, but from watching my mother (who was an author and public speaker) give talks. A deeply insecure woman in real life, Mom entered every stage as if she owned it. Her energy and vitality is what I emulate when it’s time for me to present myself publicly. I further honed my skills by getting coaching from a theater director. While every pianist must be themselves on stage, there are several things that apply to all of us. These tips are what I share with you here.
Stand up straight
Yup, your mother was right. Stand up. Put your shoulders back. Smile. This assures the audience that you are indeed in command of your upcoming performance and that they can trust you when you begin to play. Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank fame, summed it up well when she said,
“When someone walks on the set hunched over, I interpret rightly or wrongly that they lack confidence.”
Walk with purpose
Don’t rush to the piano. Don’t shuffle. Walk smoothly and purposefully and that very action signals confidence and capability. This is one of the reasons why it’s best for female pianists to practice walking in their performance dresses and shoes. No one wants to try to stride confidently on spindly heels while crossing a slick stage. Make sure your concert attire doesn’t undercut your confidence.
Look the audience in the eye
OK, you won’t be able to look everyone in the eye, but each person in the room should feel that you’re glad to see them. Too many pianists allow nerves to make them look everywhere but at their listeners. Train yourself to look out rather than down or up and you will appear to have more confidence than perhaps you feel.
Be a gracious host
You are throwing a musical party, one that your audience longs to enjoy. Most (if not all) people present think warmly of you and wish you the best or else they wouldn’t have bothered to show up. As the performer, you are welcoming them into your musical world, much in the same way you would welcome people into your home. Give them a dazzling smile, signal that you’re glad to see them, and imagine wrapping everyone in the room into a huge, welcoming hug. This is a remarkably effective way to calm jitters.
Script and rehearse comments (but don’t talk too long!)
There are those who are gifted public speakers. They’re the ones who extemporize with ease. Then there are those whose nerves cause them to talk too fast, talk too softly, and (frequently) talk too much. These performers are ones who need to script—and rehearse!—everything they plan to say to the audience. Learn how to work with a mic, and learn to project your voice loudly enough to fill a room when you don’t have amplification. Finally, whichever group you belong to, keep your comments short, punchy, and relevant. The audience is there to hear you play, not to listen to you ramble on and on about the music you’re planning to play (or have just played).
Work with a coach
As with any new skill, sometimes it’s best to get guidance from someone else. My suggestion? Get coaching from a theater director or teacher. If possible, ask this person to attend one of your concerts and take note of what you’re doing well and what could be improved.
In the end, stage presence isn’t about making ourselves look better (although that’s a happy result), it’s about giving the audience the ease and confidence to better relax and enjoy the music we play. They gift us with their presence. We gift them with a performance (both musical and non-musical) to remember.
Photo by Matthew Schwartz, courtesy of UpSplash