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Shaky hands, sweaty palms, shallow breathing, racing heart, feeling numb, foggy, having self doubt; do these symptoms sound familiar?  Performance anxiety doesn’t sneak up on us, our response is automatically triggered from environmental cues, that our subconscious processes and responses without our control.  In this workshop we will explore ways reflection can help you become aware of your response triggers.   Understanding these triggers can help you to create new habits that will change how you automatically react.  Start reflecting on how you are talking to yourself and if you are viewing your performance as a challenge or a threat.  Plan on sharing your experiences and ask questions you have about your symptoms and thoughts.

Carol Ann Aicher currently teaches graduate pedagogy at the Manhattan School of Music and was formerly Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.  The Graduate Pedagogy courses she has taught at Manhattan School of Music since 2001 are for all majors; this approach using principles and skills that are applicable to every musician is a specialty that she developed that is unique in the field of pedagogy. In 2016 she was awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service it is the highest honor bestowed upon the Manhattan School of Music Community by the President of the School.  

Dr. Aicher incorporates contemporary educational philosophies and brain-based research into her courses. The curriculum is focused on increasing the students’ understanding of their own learning skills in order to help themselves as well as others.   The “Learning as a Process (LAAP)” philosophy of teaching, which was the subject of Dr. Aicher’s dissertation, has evolved to include new learning techniques to strengthen the connection between learning, practicing and performing; to reduce performance anxiety and to facilitate peak performance.   Currently she has teaching studios in both Manhattan and Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania.  

Carol Ann Aicher earned her Doctorate of Education from Columbia University Teachers College; a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Manhattan School of Music; a Piano Pedagogy Certificate from MSM’s Piano Pedagogy Institute; and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance with a minor in Music History from Oberlin College Conservatory.