The Performing Mind™ Seminar

An entertaining, inspirational, and professional seminar for people who want practical ways to become high-level performers with sharp mental discipline, powerful self motivation, and develop an effective process for your craft.

Great performers are paid well for consistently achieving a very high average of excellence. How? it can't only be hard work; many people struggle for years with little success. It can't just be connections; you have to be able to deliver high quality performances. Maybe it's luck? Oprah says, "Luck is a matter of opportunity and being prepared. If you ain't prepared, you ain't lucky."

Partial Outline

Hardware: The Brain

Five Stages of Performing

• GOAL SETTING
  Defining your destiny
  Creating your toolkit
  Seeing your future
  Setting objectives
• PREPARATION
  Matching your skills to your goals
  How to accept your responsibility
  Incredibly effective practice techniques
  Care and feeding of the self image
• INTEGRATION
  
  Using your imagination
  How your brain puts it all together,
      and how to help
• EXECUTION
  Avoiding analysis paralysis
  Staying centered in the moment
  Handling disasters
  Managing stage fright
• EVALUATION
  Validating your objectives
  Gathering the important information
  Why failure is not losing and success is not winning

More

Wrap Ups

Comments from seminar participants

• "I have a couple of harp parts coming up this season that have legendary reputations among harpists. I have used the principles over and over, and... performing is much more enjoyable. The first time I was an orchestral soloist, the technique... allowed me to approach the performance without feeling nervous. I was excited, but not nervous. In the performances, I got everything I [wanted], plus a bouquet of flowers. I have also included [your ideas] in my teaching." - Professional harpist and teacher, Seattle, in a recent email after having taken the seminar many years ago.
• Evaluation after a school district in-service session: "Instructor is extremely vibrant and interesting. well organized and exemplified his area of instruction. He is a living example of applying the principles of the course." And one participant said, "My students were very excited about setting goals for themselves."
• After her first recital since the seminar: "...just as I had always imagined performing should be. It was a blast!" - Member, American Guild of Organists, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• "People already involved in the theatre may feel they don't need this sort of training, but we all need it badly!" - Professional Actor/Dancer, Seattle.
• "I attended out of curiosity with the idea of leaving in an hour or so, but was held spellbound from beginning to end." - University professor, Northridge, California.
• "Exciting and applicable to everyone" - Nurse and singer, Seattle.

The seminar content is best suited to active peformers, both professional and amateur, teachers, conductors, performance coaches, and college & university students. Advanced and dedicated high school students can also benefit. Also see the Five Stages of Performing.

The instructor is Michael Kysar. For details on Michael, see his Biography.