Nick Mainella is an active jazz musician and saxophonist in the Boston area. He also runs the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast where he has cultivated a community of aspiring jazz musicians from all over the world to tune in every week and benefit from a short jazz lesson. Nick has been teaching and playing music for over 20 years and has set out to make his mark on the new digital landscape for musicians. Nick plays with several Boston area based ensembles including the Soggy Po' Boys, Jazzsputin, Our Big Band, and his own ensemble. You can find and connect with Nick at 10minutejazzlesson.com or nickmainellamusic.com.

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sometimes keeping your cool when you struggle as a performer is a victory.

Feeling comfortable as a performer is a process, not an event.

Taking care of yourself physically is as important as preparing musically.

NICK'S WORST MOMENT AS A PERFORMER

"I was asked to sit in with a pretty famous group in Boston. I had been warned by some friends that they like to test new people by playing the most difficult chart in their book, at crazy tempos.

"I didn't listen. I thought I would be okay. When they called me up, they took out the hardest chart they could find, and had me solo for 5-6 minutes. I fell flat on my face."

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"After I screwed up in the worst way imaginable, the guys in the band were still really cool to me. In fact, they asked to play with them again."

"I used to get really bad stage fright to the point I almost couldn't play my instrument. But I kept at it, and eventually I began feeling comfortable in my own skin as a performer."

"I begin to feel nervous when the scene is unfamiliar."

THE HOT SEAT

Q: It’s 5 minutes before you go on stage for an important performance… What are you doing?

A: I'm just hanging around, enjoying the people I'm about to step on stage. The looseness transfers when you get on stage.

Q: What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received?

A:  By the time you step on stage, you're either prepared or your not. So don't get into your own head. When you overthink your performance, you'll get yourself into trouble. Rely on your preparation so that you're not thinking, you're just doing.

Q: Can you share one tip for our listeners to help deal with stage fright? (Physical, mental, etc.)

A: Just keep doing it. You may need to suffer through some bad performances, but it will go away. Just keep performing and you'll eventually feel completely natural.

Q: What’s a non-musical activity that contributes to your success as a musician?

A: Exercise and sleep.

Q: Imagine you’re on stage. It’s the end of the performance and the audience is on its feet, applauding. They don’t want any more and they don’t want any less. Everything is perfect. What have you just done?

A: I love playing with my band called The Soggy Po Boys. This is one of the most fun bands I've ever played with. The comment I always get from the audience is, "We can tell you really had fun up there." Anytime we get that feeling, it's because we've all had a blast performing.