Why Do I Get Nervous When I Perform? | Music Is Medicine

Have you ever noticed that you can play beautifully when you're alone... but the moment someone starts watching, everything changes? In this episode of Music Is Medicine, Mat Creedon explores the real reason performance anxiety has so little to do with music itself. Discover how old memories, self-criticism and the stories we carry from the past quietly shape the way we perform today. Learn why one wrong note can feel so personal, why our minds become our own harshest critics, and how returning to the present moment can transform not only your music, but your life. Whether you're a musician, singer, performer, public speaker, or simply someone who struggles with self-doubt, this episode offers a fresh perspective on fear, confidence and the freedom that comes from truly listening. Perhaps the audience was never the problem. Perhaps the music was never the problem. Perhaps only the story was. 🎵 Join the Mat Creedon School of Music community for daily Music Is Medicine reflections, the Easy Key Method, free resources and a supportive community of musicians: https://www.skool.com/mat-creedon-sch... Music Is Medicine is a podcast by Mat Creedon — a musician, sound practitioner, and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne, Australia. In each episode, Mat explores the deeper relationship between music, emotion, and the human nervous system. Through reflections on songwriting, sound meditation, creativity, and deep listening, the podcast looks at how music can help us process experience, release emotion, and reconnect with ourselves. Drawing from years of musical practice, sound work, and teaching, these conversations invite listeners to explore a simple but powerful idea: Music is not only something we listen to. Sometimes, music is medicine.