Super September Practice Challenge Week 3: Mindset & Performance

Let’s face it: the word performance makes some of us cringe and some of us get giddy inside. Wherever you land, this week is about diminishing the build-up around performance and approaching it as if it's simply another day—okay, a slightly more energetic day—playing your instrument.

This week, you'll practice with intention so that you can get to that point, and then feel beyond ready to give a performance at the end of this week.

Now remember, “performance” can look however you’d like:

• Invite a friend over and play them a tune
• Organize a jam session
• Play on your porch for your neighbors
• Share something with your family
• Sit in with your band
• Post a video of you playing inside the Fiddle School Community
• Join us and play at our Super September Virtual Coffeehouse 🎶 on Tuesday, Sept. 30th, 4–5 PT. (Any instrument, five minutes per player. Sign up to play here!)

Until then, I’ll guide you with daily prompts. They’re not about perfection, but rather building comfort, awareness, and flow. Because even one week of mindful practice can move the needle in how you feel about performing.

This Week’s Focus: Get Into the Performance Mindset, and Share Your Music!

Before You Begin:

Choose a tune to focus on and perform this week. This should be a tune that you’ve had a lot of practice recalling, and will likely be a tune that you’ve played for a while. Now, let's get started!

Monday: Breathe

Breathing is the first thing to go when the nerves kick in. I'm guilty too! But awareness of your breath while you play can transform how relaxed and grounded you feel. As you play today, notice:

1. Am I breathing as I play this tune, or holding my breath?
2. What’s the pace of my breathing?
3. Is my breath high in my chest and shoulders, or low in my belly?

🎯 Goal: A natural, continuous belly breath that keeps you relaxed as you play.

Tuesday: Interleaved Practice

One of the most powerful tools for performance preparation is interleaved practice, a term I learned from violist and researcher Molly Gebrian.

Instead of repeating something over and over and lulling the brain into autopilot, interleaved practice forces you to recall the material “cold” after some time has passed. This better simulates performance, where you only get one chance.

Interleaved practice has several benefits:

• Strengthens memory and retrieval (the brain has to pull up the tune on demand)
• Builds resilience (you learn to keep going even if you make a mistake)
• Trains the exact skill performance requires: starting a tune and finishing it, no matter what happens in between

Today's exercise:

1. Play your tune start to finish. Don’t stop to fix or polish.
2. Put your instrument down, and briefly reflect. What felt strong, and what could feel better next time? Do not practice it.
3. Later in the day, play the tune again, straight through. Same rules.
4. Repeat once more later in the day.

🎯 Goal: Give yourself three “mini performances” of your tune today. Start, keep going, and finish—mistakes and all. As you reflect, remember to use your curious mind, not your critical mind. 

Wednesday: Mental Practice

After yesterday, you’ll know your weak spots. Today, you'll practice them—at first, without even lifting the bow.

1. Sit quietly and close your eyes.
2. Imagine yourself holding your fiddle.
3. Establish a tempo. Walk through your tune in your mind, start to finish. Picture how it feels in your hands. Hear the sound. Feel the rhythm.
4. Do this 2–3 times, then pick up your fiddle and play, channeling the exact feeling you just visualized.

🎯 Goal: Strengthen your mind-body connection. Your brain learns the tune even when you’re not holding the instrument.

Thursday: Slow Day

We often think the only way to prepare for a performance is to push tunes up to speed. But today, I want you to do the opposite: slow them down by about 10%.

Not dragging—just relaxed. The kind of tempo that feels almost too easy. Let yourself smile. Let it feel playful.

🎯 Goal: Remind your body that playing can feel effortless.

Friday: Interleaved Practice, Part 2

Today, repeat your prompt from Tuesday—with a twist. In addition to your tune of the week, you're going to play through three other tunes in your mini-performances. Choose tunes in a variety of keys that you could pull out and play any time.

Start with the three other tunes, and end on your tune of the week. Play through all four tunes (without stopping to fix!), and repeat this twice more throughout the day.

Notice how playing your tune of the week feels different in this context compared to Tuesday. What felt easier? What felt harder? Get curious as to why.

🎯 Goal: Give three more "mini-performances" today, this time with three other tunes added in. 

Saturday: Jam Day

You've already done the work, so today is about reconnecting with the fun of music. Forget the performance, and just play tunes. You might:

• Get together with friends for a jam
• Use play-along tracks
• Invite friends to a Zoom session
• Just play through a bunch of tunes you love!

🎯 Goal: Rest in the fun of being a musician. No pressure, no agenda—just enjoy.

Sunday (or The Coming Week): Showtime!

Choose your performance. It can be small or big, casual or formal—the only thing that matters is that you share your music.

If you'd like, come join us at our Super September Virtual Coffeehouse 🎶 on Tuesday, Sept. 30th, 4–5 PT. You can sign up to play here, or just come to listen. All instruments are welcome, and each player gets five minutes.

🎯 Goal: Perform once this week, and let it feel like a natural extension of your playing.

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Above all, I want you to take this week to experiment. Breathe, play tunes straight through, imagine success, slow down, jam for fun, and most importantly, share your music.

Because your playing isn’t meant to stay in the practice room—it’s meant to be heard.

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Want to jumpstart your fiddling with our Super September Practice Challenge?

Click here to officially enter! Start with Week 1 here.

At the end, one lucky fiddler will win a free playing evaluation with Katie Glassman.

 

✨ Want to keep working on your performance mindset? 

Every month in our Mastery Certification Program features a week dedicated to Performance & Mindset. Why? It helps creates fiddlers who aren’t just practicing in a vacuum, but actually growing into confident, expressive musicians.  Applications for 2026 are now open, and placement is free. Apply now!