About performance under pressure
Image: David Waldie
Founded in 2019, Performance Under Pressure was created with the purpose of supporting and empowering musicians to take charge of their own learning, performance, and broader personal development.
This business is built on the belief that every person has the ability to achieve amazing things - you don’t have to be ‘talented’ to be successful! However, you do have to have effective techniques and strategies in order to maintain motivation, grow self-confidence, and improve skill development to achieve peak performance.
As a coach, my values are grounded in client-led learning and growth. I aim to encourage, support, and equip musicians on their path to becoming self-determined, self-regulated, and proactive learners and performers. I strive to unlock the full potential of each client by helping them strongly connect to their own values and purpose of making music. I rely on the latest evidence-based performance methods to provide crucial structure and certainty to clients, giving them the required skills and confidence to flourish in their chosen musical genre.
Performance Under Pressure is a culmination of over 20 years of performance and teaching experience that I am incredibly proud of. I love sharing my passion for learning, teaching, and performing with my clients, students, and the broader community. My vision is to empower and inspire as many people as possible to achieve great things, both in music, and in life.
However, the work that I do at Performance Under Pressure is actually not about me…it is all about helping YOU on your musical journey! So, if you want to expand your horizons and push your limits, then fill out the contact form below, and we can make those aspirations a reality!
All the best,
Mark
How Do I help you achieve success?
In my presentations, workshops, coaching sessions, and online course, I use scientifically researched and proven methods from the fields of psychology (cognitive, educational, motivational, peak performance, and Music Performance Anxiety psychology), as well as cognitive neuroscience.
The methods I use are derived from the following frameworks:
Self-Determination Theory
Growth Mindset
Self-Regulated Learning
Deliberate Practice
Desirable Difficulties
Peak Performance Psychology
Flow Theory
The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA)
Acceptance and Commitment Coaching
Some of the topics that I regularly cover with clients include:
Clarifying personal goals and values
Practice planning
Using experimentation and problem solving in the practice room
Improving practice methods using cognitive science
Developing healthy practice and performance mindsets
Working with nerves and anxiety for performance
Mental skills for peak performance
Performance and audition preparation
ABOUT MARK BAIN
Photo: Conor Richardson
2022 - present - Trumpet Tutor, School of Creative Arts and Media, University of Tasmania
2019 - present - Founder & Director, Performance Under Pressure
2013 - present - Brass Examiner, Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)
2011 - present - Tutti Trumpet, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
2012 - 2022 - Trumpet Tutor, The Friends’ School
2005 - 2007 - Guest Student, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2001 - 2004 - Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours), Australian National University School of Music, Canberra A.C.T.
After growing up in Adelaide, Mark Bain moved to Canberra to complete tertiary studies at the Australian National University School of Music in 2004. This lead to further overseas study at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 2005. Since 2011, Mark has held the position of Tutti Trumpet with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Adelaide, West Australian, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra (Germany), Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (Belgium), and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in Doha.
Over his career Mark has performed with artists such as James Morrison, Ben Folds, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Amanda Palmer, David Garrett, Tim Minchin, Kate Cebrano, Missy Higgins, Katie Noonan, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Megan Washington. He has worked with bands The Violent Femmes, Eskimo Joe, The Whitlams and Tripod.
Notable conductors that he has performed under include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel, Sir Andrew Davis, Benjamin Zander, Sebastian Weigle, Marco Letonja, and Pinchas Steinberg.
Mark has toured with orchestras throughout Germany, China, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and New Zealand, as well as performing regularly around Tasmania and Australia.
With a strong passion for music education, Mark has held teaching positions at the Australian National University School of Music in Canberra, the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main (Germany), as well as guest tutor for the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Young Symphonists program. From 2012 to 2022 he was the Trumpet Tutor at The Friends’ School in Hobart, before becoming Trumpet Tutor at the University of Tasmania School of Creative Arts and Media in 2022. He has also been a Brass Examiner in Tasmania for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) since 2013.
In 2019, Mark founded Performance Under Pressure and has conducted countless workshops and presentations at schools and organisations around Australasia and the U.S.A. Highlights have included guest presenting at the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) XXIII National Conference in 2021, as well as engagements with Monash University, the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), and the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB).
Mark lives in beautiful Hobart with his wife and 2 daughters.
TESTIMONIALS
“Mark offers an invaluable insight into Performance Under Pressure. His research and passion combined with eloquent delivery result in a workshop that gives participants strong practical outcomes for managing performing under pressure. This session was relevant to both me, a seasoned professional, as well as people in their teens who can set themselves up with a strong set of tools for managing life in our industry.”
BEN OPIE - PROFESSIONAL OBOIST
“Mark’s presentation was fantastic. Relevant, informative and engaging, his research is spot on and his content appeals to performers with any level of experience. Our students found Mark’s presentation style easy to connect with and the tools and tips he delivered were practical and able to be immediately applied to performance work. A well-rounded seminar!”
ALESHA DYMOCK - HEAD OF MUSIC, SUMMERLAND CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, NSW
“Today we had an amazing performance masterclass via Zoom. Mark presented a great session to our Symphonic Band on positive performance psychology & preparation. He normalised the fears that we all face during the pressures of performing & how to overcome them in a very natural but clear process.
I would recommend music educators to look into having Mark present to their students.”
RICK KEENAN - DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, ELTHAM HIGH SCHOOL
Thanks Mark for a fantastic seminar. It was engaging, informative, enlightening and I feel it gave us the language and conscious understanding of what to look out for in young people and how to engage them with performance practice. The activities offered great strategies in building confidence in young people to mitigate anxiety later in their developmental lives. This was a big 'takeaway' for me. Thank you!
MICHAEL POWER - VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MUSIC TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION OF NSW AND TASMANIAN MUSIC TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION COUNCIL MEMBER
“With the tips and techniques Mark recommends and the support of the PUP Online Community, I now look forward to performing and feel more confident about my preparation. My practice is more effective, I now frequently record my playing and I have strategies to cope with how I respond under pressure when performing. Yes it is a journey and a work in progress, some performances will be better than others but now I have the tools to analyse why that is and to learn from each experience in a positive way rather than beat myself up about it. I am also more open to every performance opportunity that comes my way: I have signed up as member of our Church worship team, and play in a string quartet and other musical duos, all with performances coming up - there’s no way I’d have considered doing these things a while back. Thanks Performance Under Pressure, I am enjoying the journey, boosting my confidence and learning heaps about myself in the process.”
LINDA - AMATEUR CELLIST AND PIANO PLAYER
“Thank you so much for a great session today. The girls I think really got a lot out of it…I felt that it was pitched well for the age group, having the slides was great, and the odd bit of humour made it relatable as well. Very clear concepts, well explained, and some great ideas which are very easy for anyone to implement at any time.” (Online presentation)
JANET KINGSBURY - DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, RANGI RURU GIRLS’ SCHOOL, NEW ZEALAND
“I really appreciated hearing about performance anxiety from you as it is something I often experience quite heavily…I guess it just changed my perspective towards the feelings of anxiety I get…I had the most enjoyable performance of my life (that sounds extreme but it really made a difference)…I had fun, I wasn't nervous as soon as I started singing which was so relieving.”
ZOE - YEAR 10 STUDENT
I reached out to Mark in the days leading up to an orchestral audition and I’m so glad I did! His experience and wisdom was so grounding that I felt the most confident and mentally prepared to date for an audition, which I can’t thank him enough for ☺️
In this industry, we all face high pressure performances/auditions but simply knowing that we aren’t alone in the highs and lows that come with this is truly invaluable.
Thanks Mark, you’re a gem!
AMY WHYTE - PROFESSIONAL FREELANCE CLARINET PLAYER AND TEACHER
Mark's talk with the Melbourne Youth Wind Symphony was so inspiring and very educational, informative and highly important for any musician trying to record, [or] audition for universities or orchestras etc. I highly recommend this program, I will be implementing strategies into my daily practice routine now and is great for both students and educators or anyone in the performing arts field!!
SARAH - MELBOURNE YOUTH WIND SYMPHONY MEMBER
“Your advice on managing performance anxiety and focus helped very much…I felt much more calm when actually playing…I was much more secure in my interpretation, and the mental visualisation which you suggested helped a lot - especially with the evocative and symbolic nature of my pieces.
I noticed a huge difference from the last recital…overall I felt more in control of the piano…I felt a lot more comfortable even in front of a larger audience. Thanks again for the help.”
GABBY - YEAR 12 STUDENT
“I thought Mark's talk on performance anxiety was well thought out and organised. He brought up several points I had heard of and some that were new to me and I now use in practice and performance. He has also been a good friend and colleague to bounce playing ideas off of. His advice is honest and to the point about what needs to get better. He has a heap of tools to help get you there. Mark is a solid musician and teacher. I think if you are looking for help with musical ideas or any playing anxiety, Mark is a fantastic link to understanding how the brain works and how to get through any issues.”
MARSHALL NICHOLS - PROFESSIONAL FREELANCE TRUMPET PLAYER
“I was extremely impressed by your presentation and have already started the conversations with some of my students about strategies you suggested as well as using them on myself. I wish this was around in my early learning day…You delivered a fantastic presentation that has sparked new ideas in teaching.”
MEL SMITH - SINGING TEACHER
“Mark is incredibly generous with his time and really goes above and beyond to work with you, where ever you are at, to help improve your performance. I would definitely recommend him for literally any level, literally any instrument…I learned a lot of extremely useful things, and was greatly encouraged by Mark’s warm enthusiasm. I absolutely know that you will be too.”
DIANNE - PROFESSIONAL FREELANCE HORN PLAYER AND TEACHER
“Mark is a great teacher, and an all round lovely guy. I took a lot away from my lesson with him, and he has some great things to share around performance success, and how to frame what success is. Can’t recommend him highly enough!”
ADRIAN - PROFESSIONAL FREELANCE TRUMPET PLAYER AND TEACHER
“Workshop today was most informative, comprehensive, experiential and fun. Can’t wait to put it all into practice…”
SONIA - WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
“Mark is really eager to help and encourage musicians, and is full of ideas to bring out the best of any performance situation. I greatly appreciate his help!”
OLIVIA - CLARINET PERFORMER AND TEACHER
“Having in mind these tips and principles will shorten the learning curve on an individual on a certain skill, not just in music.”