Three Things to Remember When Mistakes Happen

Guess what? You’re human! And so are we all. Despite our preparation, we musicians make mistakes on stage, even when we perform at the highest level. Part of being a musician is knowing how to comport yourself both toward your audience and to your colleagues when something doesn’t go according to plan. Let’s look at some of the ways to turn a mistake into an opportunity to show your professionalism.

Don’t stop

The first thing to do when you make a mistake is to keep going. You are there to create a musical experience for your audience, and amplifying the mistake by stopping, showing your displeasure, or disrupting your colleagues’ performance can damage your audience’s experience. 

Remember that you are the expert on the music you are playing; the audience is likely not. What might seem like a big flub to you might not be apparent to your audience anyway, so don’t rob them of their musical experience. Practice the art of the cover-up. Find ways to weave the errant thread back into the whole so it’s just part of the fabric.

If your mistake is large and obvious to everyone, be gracious about it. You may receive compliments on your performance anyway, and it is selfish to deny the giver of those compliments the pleasure of your acceptance of their good wishes. Even though you might be upset about what went wrong, weren’t there other parts that went well? Shouldn’t we all celebrate that?

Judge not, that ye be not judged 

If a colleague makes a mistake, don’t visibly react. Stay steady and give them your musical support. When you keep going, you supply your colleague with a means to get themselves back on track. This forgiveness is necessary for the cohesion of any ensemble. If you forgive the mistake, it’s more likely that your colleague will be there for you in your own moment of need.

Unless your colleague wants to talk about it afterward, avoid bringing it up in conversation. They don’t need to be reminded of what happened. If they ask for your support, reassure them by telling them what they did well. Offer suggestions only if they ask for them. Remind them that one mistake doesn’t destroy a performance.

Remember why you’re there

We have a special gift: we can make music! When we share our music with a listener, we are sharing ourselves with them. Live music, like all human interactions, is full of possibilities and risks. Music has the power to create joy and connection, and a few mistakes, even our own mistakes, cannot take anything away from that.