Stage Fright(A级)
Fall down as you come onstage. That's an odd trick. Not recommended. But it saved the pianist Vladimir Feltsman when he was a teenager back in Moscow. The veteran cellist Mstislav Rostropovich tripped him purposely to cure him of pre-performance panic,Mr. Feltsman said, "All my fright was gone. I already fell. What else could happen?"
Today, music schools are addressing the problem of anxiety in classes that deal with performance techniques and career preparation. There are a variety of strategies that musicians can learn to fight stage fright and its symptoms:icy fingers, shaky limbs ,racing heart,blank mind.
Teachers and psychologists offer wide-ranging advice, from basics like learning pieces inside out, to mental discipline, such as visualizing a performance and taking steps to relax. Don't deny that you're jittery ,they urge; some excitement is natural, even necessary for dynamic playing. And play in public often, simply for the experience.
Psychotherapist Diane Nichols suggests' some strategies for the moments before performance, "Take two deep abdominal breaths, open up your shoulders, then smile," she says. "And not one of these 'please don't kill me' smiles. Then choose three friendly faces in the audience, people you would communicate with and make music to, and make eye contact with them. " She doesn't want performers to think of the audience as a judge.
Extreme demands by mentors or parents are often at the root of stage fright, says Dorothy Delay, a well-known violin teacher. She tells other teachers to demand only what their students are able to achieve. .
When Lynn Harrell was 20, he became the principal cellist of the Cleverland Orchestra, and he suffered extreme stage fright. "There were times when I got so nervous I was sure the audience could see my chest responding to the throbbing. It was just total panic. I came to a point where I thought, ' If I have to go through this to play music, I think I' m going to look for another job. Recovery, he said, involved developing humility-recognizing that whatever his talent, he was fallible, and that an imperfect concert was not a disaster. 6
It is not only young artists who suffer, of course. The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz's nerves were famous. The great tenor Franco Corelli is another example. "They had to push him on stage," Soprano Renata Scotto recalled.
Actually, success can make things worse. "In the beginning of your career,when you're scared to death, nobody knows who you are, and they don't have any expectations," Soprano June Anderson said. "There's less to lose. Later on, when you're known, p.eople are coming to see you, and they have certain expectations. You have a lot to lose. "
Anderson added, "I never stop being nervous until I've sung my last note. "
词汇：
veteran adj.经验丰富的 jittery adj.紧张不安的
mentor n.指导者 soprano n.女高音;女高音歌手
cellist n.大提琴演奏家 abdominal adj.腹部的
fallible adj.易犯错误的 tenor n.男高音
注释：
1.Stage Fright：怯场
2.The veteran cellist Mstislav Rostropovich tripped him purposely to cure him of pre—performance panic.资深大提琴家Mstislav Rostropovich故意把Vladimir Feltsman绊倒，因而治愈了他的上台前的恐惧症。cure somebody of something(illness，problem)：医治好病(解决问题)。
3.…its symptoms：icy fingers，shaky limbs，racing heart，blank mind：怯场的症状有：手指冰凉、四肢发抖、心跳加速、大脑一片空白。
4.Teachers and psychologists offer wide? ranging advice，from basics like learning pieces inside out…：老师和心理学家提出了方方面面的建议，从基础的做法，比如，将演奏曲目烂熟于心……inside out：in great detail(详细的，从里到外的)
5.I came to a point where I thought，‘If I have to go through this to play music，I think l’m goingto look for anotherjob.’我曾经一度认为，如果演出要经历这种慌乱，我宁可另找一份工作。
6.Recovery，he said，involved developing humility——recognizing that whatever his talent，he wasfallible，and that an imperfect concert was not a disaster.要克服怯场，就要学会谦虚，即认识到 不论自己有多大的才能，都可能犯错误;一场音乐会即使有不完美的地方，也不是要命的事情。
练习：
1. Falling down onstage was not a good way for Vladimir Feltsman to deal with his stage fright.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
2. There are many signs of stage fright.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
3. Teachers and psychologists cannot help people with extreme stage fright.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
4. To perform well on stage, you need to have some feelings of excitement.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
5. If you have stage fright, it's helpful to have friendly audience.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
6. Often people have stage fright because parents or teachers expect too much of them.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
7. Famous musicians never suffer from stage fright.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
答案与题解：
1.B本文第一段讲的是钢琴家Vladimir Feltsman被Mstislav Rostropovich绊倒后，他的怯场被治愈了的经历。
2.A第二段的后一句点出怯场的诸多症状：手指冰凉、四肢发抖、心跳加速、大脑一片空白。
3.B 本文的第三、第四、第五和第六段都在讲老师和心理学家为怯场者提供全方位的建议。
4.A依据第三段的倒数第二句：some excitement is natural，even necessary for dynamic playing.(适度的兴奋对于精彩演出是正常甚至是必要的)
5.c第四段提到克服怯场的方法之一是：在观众中选择三名比较友善的人，与他们做眼神交流。所以克服怯场要靠自己而不是指望所有的观众都友好。
6.A第五段讲了怯场的根源在于导师或父母对表演者要求太高。Extreme demands就是expect too much of them的意思。
7.B第七段讲的是：不只年轻艺术家会怯场，钢琴家Vladimir Horowitz和男高音Franco Corelli亦不能幸免。Never一词不恰当。
译文：如何避免怯场
上台就跌倒。这是个奇特的办法!但不推荐。可它确实拯救了钢琴家弗拉基米尔·菲兹曼，那个时候他才十几岁，正在莫斯科表演。资深大提琴手米提斯拉夫·罗斯特罗波维奇故意在他上台前将他绊倒，帮助他摆脱上台前的恐慌。菲兹曼先生说：“所有的害怕都烟消云散类。我已经摔倒了，还有比这更糟糕的吗?”
如今，音乐学校都在课堂中强调焦虑问题，因为这是讲授表演技巧和打好表演基础的课程。怯场有很多表现，比如手指冰冷、四肢发抖、心跳加速、大脑一片空白，音乐家们可以学着用许多多应变策略应对这些问题。
教师和心理学家给出了许多建议，从基础的做法，比如将演奏曲目烂熟于心，到精神训练，比如想象演出场景，有步骤地进行放松等。他们强调，不要掩饰你的紧张感，适度的兴奋对于精彩演出是正当甚至是必要的。为了积累经验，要常在公众场合演出。
黛安·尼克尔斯是一名心理治疗师，她给出了一些上台前的建议：“做两次深度的腹式呼吸，扩胸，然后微笑，注意不是那种仿佛央求对方不要杀你的微笑，而是友好的微笑。从观众中选出三名比较友善的人，这些是你愿意与之交流并为之演奏的人，并与他们做眼神接触。”她不想让演奏者将观众当成是法官。
多萝西·德雷是一名小提琴教师，她认为来自导师和父母的苛刻要求常常是怯场的根源。她告诉其他教师，对学生的要求要以学生本身所能达到的水平为基础。
林·哈雷尔20岁的时候成为克利夫兰管弦乐队的首席大提琴手，但是他怯场非常严重。他说：“有时候我非常紧张，我甚至能肯定，观众一定能看到我的胸口随着心跳而搏动，简直变成了慌乱。”后来我竟然到了这个地步，我想“如果演出要经历这种慌乱，我宁可另找一份工作。”他说要克服怯场要谦虚，要认识到，不论自己有多大的才能，都可能犯错误，一场音乐会即使有不完美的地方，也不是灾难。
当然，并不只有年轻人才会怯场。具有传奇色彩的钢琴家弗拉基米尔·霍洛维茨的敏感神经同样尽人皆知。另一个例子是男高音弗朗科·科莱里，女高音蕾娜塔·思科多这样形容他：“必须得有人推着他才肯上台。”
实际上，成名之后情况可能会变得更糟。“刚开始的时候，即使你怕得要死，也没有人知道你是谁，因为对你不抱有多大期望。”女高音琼·安德森说道，“你不会有任何损失。但你成名以后，人们专程来看你的表演，那时他们一定是满怀期待而来，这样，你损失的东西就多了。”
安德森还说：“直到唱完后一个音符之前，我一直都会紧张。”
