End-of-year school concerts showcase children’s talents and hard work, often filling performers with pride. But for some, the idea of performing live is terrifying.

Performance anxiety, also known as glossophobia or stage fright – can manifest in ways that range from excitement or mild discomfort, such as tummy butterflies, to severe physical reactions such as racing heart, shaking, sweating, nausea, fainting or hyperventilating.

Even seasoned artists, such as Adele and Barbra Streisand, have spoken openly about lifelong struggles with performance anxiety.

Studies suggest up to 75% of children develop performance anxiety. While some children recover quickly from a stressful performance, others may be deeply affected. Negative experiences can lead to long-term impacts, including chronic stress, headaches and a loss of confidence.

The good news is there are effective strategies to prevent and manage stage fright.

I’ve had my own experiences of stage fright. As a child, I loved performing and learned to psyche myself up for solos on classical guitar, clarinet, trumpet and singing.

But in my first year at university, moments before a recital, I discovered my print music was not inside my instrument case. Forced to play from memory, my performance unravelled with repeated memory lapses caused by heightened anxiety. Mortified, I changed........

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