When it comes right down to performance time, what do you do to get ready to perform? What are the notes that you play or the things that you think? How do you set yourself up for success? My students are all preparing for our annual spring recital. We've had our final lessons of the year, and the question I asked everyone was "What do you need to do right before you go on stage to prepare for this piece?" The answer is different for each of them. For Carla, playing the Schumann A Major Romance, a slow C#, A, F# slur is going to prepare her embouchure for the descending intervals that start the piece and recur throughout. For Braydon, playing Handel F major, the biggest issue is tempo and character. He is to think about the tempo of his slow movement and play the first four notes, beautifully, to himself before he comes out on stage. For Megan, playing the Jacob Sonatina, it's B and D long tones, to get her sound and vibrato flowing before she starts. In g