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 so much Mark! All the skills you have taught me over the past year have been invaluable to my future preparation for auditions/performances. I’ve already seen so many successes in getting numerous second round auditions and will keep coming back to the toolkit of skills you’ve shown me!”
Daniela Edwards, Violist and PUP Online Course participant
“Mark's PUP session was a great workshop for our HSC and soon-to-be HSC students. Mark keeps the students fully engaged, and they found the information about preparing for HSC performances highly beneficial. Several of the students have already started employing the Seinfeld Strategy in their practice, and I have noticed the improvement. It was nice for the students to explore their core reasons for performing and remind them it's not all about results. Thanks for coming out to see us again; hopefully, you can visit again soon!”
Rebecca Crouch, Music Teacher, Canobolas Rural Technology School, Orange
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
“Hi Mark, Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and your music making with all of us in Orange this year. Your advice and strategies for learning and performing music have helped students and teachers to turn their musical experiences from stressful and scary to focused and enjoyable. Personally, sharing the Stage with Phil, Vicky, Dahle, and yourself was a massive honour and gave me a buzz I hadn't felt for probably 10 years or more. So thank you again, and I hope we get to play together again soon.”
Neill Ryan, Trombone teacher, orange regional conservatorium
Mark Bain was an inspiration for both students and staff over the course of his two residencies at Orange Regional Conservatorium this year. Full of great ideas to help with all levels of proficiency, and such a lovely and lighthearted approach with the students, helping to put them at their ease and achieve results that often surprised them. His psychologically based approach to teasing out aspects of performance anxiety and providing some strategies was of immense value to a large number of participants of all ages and backgrounds.
If you get the opportunity to have Mark work with your organisation, then I strongly recommend that you seize it.
Dahle Innes - Orange Regional Conservatorium
“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
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
“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
“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
“Workshop today was most informative, comprehensive, experiential and fun. Can’t wait to put it all into practice…”
SONIA - WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
Having Mark Bain spend a week in residence in Orange was nothing short of transformative. He was insightful, inspiring and treated every student with warmth and generosity. Mark had a remarkable ability to meet every student where they were, from beginner trumpet tutorials to advanced students preparing for high-level AMEB and HSC exams all the way to community musicians and teachers. Mark's visit strengthened our whole community. His passion for music was infectious, and his stories, reflections, humour and wisdom left a lasting impact. The ORC and the wider Orange music community are deeply grateful for the time and care Mark gave during his residency. He is welcome back anytime!
David Shaw - Executive director, Orange regional conservatorium
Mark, your day spent with our singers and leaders keeps rolling around in conversations. Without exception, they mention how much it impacted them on a personal level. It usually goes something like, “Like, it was really good for choir stuff, but it has really stuck with me for things in my personal life. And work, too. The way Mark presented things that I may have heard before made me listen and keep going back to them. Yeah, so grateful. Thanks for bringing Mark to training.” Leaders who are stronger in their personal lives have room left for volunteering. Thinking we should have you come and present to all our singers!!
Cath Parsons, OAM - Co-Founder, Australian Military Wives Choir
I can say with confidence that your work with our students, teachers and community over the two weeks you spent with us here in Orange has left us feeling inspired and energised. The variety of topics you are able to cover, as well as your skills as a professional orchestral trumpet player, meant that each group was able to explore particular areas which were useful for them. Whether you were in a teaching or rehearsal studio, or presenting a workshop, the extraordinary depth of your knowledge meant that you were able to tailor what you were saying so that each person left their session having learnt something really helpful for them personally. You were always warm and engaging in your presentation and we would love to have you return again to work with us in the future.
Vicky chatterly - Head of brass, orange regional conservatorium
“We’re thrilled to have supported your residency at Orange Regional Conservatorium, and it’s inspiring to see how deeply you connected with the musicians, staff and wider community.”
musica viva australia
“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 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
“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 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 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
“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.”