On Performing (The Flute Examiner) →

QUESTION for RAMA: 

What was your routine prior to performing at the NFA Young Artist Competition? Any rituals or steps (drinking water, visualizing, meditating, etc?)

When I perform, I have to be absolutely confident in everything my body and mind can achieve. So before I climb onstage, I spend a few moments taking care of myself.

1. I warm up my body with physical and technical warm-ups (Breath Builder, scale/arpeggio flexibility exercises from Julius Baker’s Daily Exercises, and precision exercises with harmonics).

2. Especially if I’m already in my performance venue, I move around to become aware of the space I’m going to fill with my sound. How big does it FEEL? (A big room can sometimes feel very small, and vice versa.) What are the acoustics like? Is the air particularly cold or warm? How comfortably can I move around?

3. I prime my mental equipment with words of affirmation. These words take many forms; sometimes I direct them inwards, and other times I direct them upwards.  “I am prepared, I am capable, and I am worthy of my audience. I recognize the honor, the privilege, and the blessing to be able to transform my listeners with every moment I present myself before them.”

Published in The Flute Examiner, October 24th, 2015 (http://thefluteexaminer.com/my-performance-routine-ramakrishnan-kumaran/)