From Fear to Flow: Cultivating a Flow State in Practice and Performance
Looking back at these photos taken in 2000, I chuckle at my 9-year-old self, sitting there anxiously with my just-as-nervous Mom, both of us awaiting my performance like it was doomsday.
When my name was called, I walked up to perform, every part of me shaking uncontrollably… and then I messed up terribly. I was so embarrassed. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan of recitals after that. I begged my parents not to sign me up for any more, and they agreed—watching me struggle through it was tough on them too. So I didn’t perform in that kind of public setting again… until I became a teacher.
I’ve always struggled with performance anxiety. I remember my first recital vividly. I practiced for hours and hours, obsessing over every tiny detail—memorizing the exact note order, shaping my hands just right, landing my fingers in precisely the correct spots at the perfect moment. But no matter how much I practiced, memory lapses still plagued me when it mattered most. The anticipation, the nerves, and the mental clutter would take over, making it almost impossible to truly focus. The emotional weight of it all was overwhelming.
Looking back, I realize those nerves weren’t just something to manage. They were communicating something direct to me, something very important: "I want to do a good job. I want to play this music so well that people feel great while listening to it. I want to get it exactly right so that my expression in the music comes across clearly and beautifully." Performing a beautiful piece in front of others is a big job, and it’s natural you want to get it perfect. But how do we make it easier and more comfortable to perform, without that distracting, heart-wrenching wave of anxiety we get each time it is our turn to step on stage?
In this blog series, we’ll explore strategies to help you manage the fight-or-flight response we all experience when nerves take over. When you're on stage, your amygdala—the part of your brain that controls emotions like fear—can go into overdrive. Suddenly, focusing feels impossible, especially when you're approaching that one passage that kept throwing you off during practice.
One of the most commonly recommended techniques is to B-R-E-A-T-H-E. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps counteract the body’s stress response. Eating a banana is another surprisingly effective trick, as it provides natural beta-blockers that can help calm jittery nerves. Grounding techniques are great starting points, but the real challenge is applying them while playing. Unfortunately, trying to consciously focus on breathing while also remembering every note in real time can actually become a distraction itself.
Over the years, what I’ve found most helpful in managing performance anxiety isn’t just breathing or relaxation techniques—it’s learning how to enter a flow state while practicing. But what exactly is a flow state?
A flow state is when you’re fully immersed in an activity—when you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing that everything else fades away. In that moment, you’re not worried about the past or the future; you’re completely absorbed in the moment of what you are doing. When applied to music, this means playing or running through a piece, practicing different passages, refining techniques, and working through exercises with deep focus.
In a flow state, your attention becomes razor-sharp, and eventually, everything seems to come together effortlessly. It’s as if you and the music become one—your hands move instinctively, your mind is fully present, and time can feel distorted. It may seem to slow down as you anticipate each note with clarity, or it might speed up as you lose yourself in the music.
A flow state is often described as being "in the zone," a term used across many disciplines to describe this heightened state of focus and effortless execution. For musicians, it’s the ultimate goal—a place where the nerves quiet down, distractions fade, and the music flows naturally. It’s not just about playing the right notes anymore; it’s about feeling completely connected to the music, allowing creativity, intuition and enjoyment to take over.
The more you practice entering this state, the more consistently you can tap into it during performances. And when that happens, performance becomes less about pressure and more about expression—where the music isn't just something you play, but something you experience.
So how do you enter a flow state while practicing piano? Here are a few strategies that can help:
Set Clear, Manageable Goals: Instead of worrying about playing an entire piece perfectly, break it down into smaller chunks. Focus on mastering one passage at a time. Don’t rush, really analyze what you are seeing, how you are interpreting the pattern with your fingers, see it as the process that it is. This can reduce the overwhelming feeling and help you get into the zone more easily.
Eliminate Distractions: Silence your phone, clear your practice area, and find a quiet space where you can really focus. The fewer distractions, the easier it is to become absorbed in the music.
Clean the piano keys: Personally, I’ve noticed that cleaning the piano keys before I start really helps set a fresh intention for my piano practice, a simple strategy that clears my mind. Take a microfiber with a mild cleaning agent and gently wipe the keys in an upward and downward motion. You’ll hear a jangly cluster of sounds as you wipe down the keys—just the instrument’s natural response to being cleaned. It might seem like a simple, mundane task, but it really helps create a sense of clarity and readiness for your practice. Here are more detailed instructions on how to clean your piano keys properly:
Use a microfiber cloth: This is ideal because it's soft and won't scratch the keys.
Use a mild cleaning agent: Spray your piano-safe cleaning agent directly onto the microfiber cloth. A safe option is a mixture of water with a tiny drop of mild dish soap or a specialty piano key cleaner. You can also use a diluted white vinegar solution (one part vinegar to three parts water) for a natural alternative. Avoid anything too harsh, such as alcohol-based cleaners, bleach, or furniture polish, as these can damage the keys or seep into the wood and key joints.
Gentle cleaning: Wipe the keys gently, in a vertical motion (upward and downward) rather than side-to-side or circular motions to avoid buildup in the crevices. It’s important to keep the cloth slightly damp, not too wet, to avoid moisture damage.
Stay Present: Try to avoid thinking too much about your future performance or what might go wrong. Try to really focus on the piece moment-to-moment and internalizing the music you’re playing. Being present helps you get into that flow state where you can play without anxiety about what's coming next.
Put your “Editor” hat on: With all the technologies out there in the world, I am sure most of us have clicked an Edit button once or twice when adjusting effects in an app of some sort. When I edit videos and music for storytelling, it feels very much like I’m sculpting out a structure or forming clay into something—chipping away at the rough edges to reveal something more intentional and refined. That’s exactly how we want to approach our practice when polishing a piece to sound absolutely perfect—not with frustration towards ourselves, but with curiosity and excitement to hear what the music is going to sound like. This stage of refinement is not the time to be overly critical or throw stones at yourself. In fact, it’s one of the most thrilling parts of the process—where the music truly takes shape, transforming from mere notes on a page into something uniquely expressive, something that belongs only to you.
We want to approach it with this mindset of an editor—adjusting the way each note sings from the piano, fine-tuning the timing to create just the right effect in different moments of the piece, and even refining the choreography of our movements. The way we glance up at the sheet music, how we search for a key and transition seamlessly back into sight reading, and even the precise timing of a page turn—all of these elements shape how we will experience our performance.
Think about the moment of a page change: our eyes naturally shift from the bottom of the page to the top of the next, landing instinctively about an inch down the 8.5 x 11 paper. These transitions aren’t just a part of the process—they need to be practiced. In performance, nerves can creep in when we suddenly realize how much there is to take in on the next page. It’s easy to forget that even something as simple as directing your eyes to the right spot can feel like a struggle in the moment.
That’s why refining these details—making them second nature—is what truly prepares us for performance. When the moment arrives, we don’t want to be caught thinking about where to look or how to move; we want to be immersed. This is how we enter the flow state—where every movement, every note, and every transition feels effortless, as if the music is playing itself through us. We are no longer just performing; we are flowing with the music, fully present, fully in sync, fully alive in the moment.
This is the strategy for practice here, the one we must go through carefully, with compassion toward ourselves.
If you enjoy this kind of insight into the artistic process, check out the blog our teaching philosophy blog—exploring the ways we can approach learning, creativity, and expression with a mindset that is both structured and free. We can’t wait to share it with you!
Challenge Yourself, But Don’t Overwhelm Yourself: The flow state is most accessible when you're working at the edge of your skill level. You want to be challenged, but not so much that you’re constantly paused by a large series of notes and feeling discouraged to read and play them.
Take intentional breaks during flow-state practice: I still struggle with this one to this day, but it’s so important. If you tend to hit the one-hour mark in your piano practice—TIME TO TAKE A BREAK. Step away for a moment. Grab an orange, drink a tall glass of fresh, cold water, juice, or tea. Let your mind think about something else for 5–10 minutes. Then, return to the piece with a renewed sense of energy and a ready-to-go attitude.
Seriously, I still struggle with this myself. But I’ve learned that these short breaks aren’t a distraction—they’re a strategy. Breaks keep your focus sharp, prevent mental fatigue, and actually help you stay in the flow-state longer. Learning when to step away is just as important as knowing when to keep pushing through.
By practicing these techniques and learning how to enter a flow state, you can reduce your performance anxiety and increase your focus more on the experience of immersing yourself in the music itself. When you step on stage, these same strategies help shift your mind away from a fear response and into a flow-state of performance—where you’re fully present and absorbed in your music. And even if the nerves don’t disappear entirely, you don’t notice them as much—as they fade into the background, bringing your concentration to the forefront, replacing fear with focus. Performance day is no longer about managing anxiety but about channeling that energy into something artful, alive, and beautifully expressive. It becomes less about worrying and more about sharing the music you’ve worked so hard to edit, shape and sculpt during your practice.
And that shift in attitude—stepping into excitement rather than fear—is what makes all the difference.
