Stewart Gordon has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a pianist, teacher, editor, composer, and author. His books and video tapes are widely used in university classrooms. His new edition of the thirty-two Beethoven piano sonatas is attracting wide attention for its scholarly research. He is currently a Professor of Keyboard Studies at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California.

• Prelude: Defining Performance


• 1: Assessing Yourself, the Performer, Achieving a Positive Mindset Toward Performance


• 2.: Why We Perform: Forging a Performance Philosophy


• 3.: Physical Support for Performance


• 4.: Conceptualizing and Scheduling Goals


• 5.: Keeping Preparation Fresh and Focused


• 6.: Dealing with Repetition and Drill


• 7.: Techniques to Develop Secure Memorization


• 8.: Insuring Quality


• 9.: Self-Regard at the Time of Performance


• 10.: Managing Stage Fright


• 11.: Dynamics during Performance


• 12.: Evaluation after Performance


• 13.: Performance and Human Interaction


• 14.: The Career Challenge


• 15.: Physical Challenge and Performance


• 16.: Performance Careers in Retrospect


• Postlude: Performance and Your Spiritual Life


• Selected Bibliography


• Index

Master teacher Stewart Gordon offers advice for musicians on conquering the demands of performance. It spans all aspects of the performance process from the planning and preparatory stages, through the actual performance, evaluation, and cultivation of a life devoted to performance.