I am doing grade 4 in March-i'm on track with everything but any more advice on how to keep calm on the day would be useful.

Thanks

chrispiano

Hypnotherapy! expensive but well worth it.

Good idea!

I tend to get really scared so what I do is take a few really deep, long breaths and try and remember that the examiner is there to hear me play not be mean and that I know what I'm doing! Good luck

If you're not used to playing infront of people, perform your pieces several times to whoever you can on different pianos if possible.

Practise playing under pressure. Get friends and family to sit down and be an audience for you, and play your pieces straight through just as if it's an exam. The exam is a performance, after all, even if it's just one person watching! Knowing how it feels to have your every move scrutinised in this way can make the exam scenario feel less unfamiliar.

Edit: damn, beaten to it! Shouldn't have left the tab open for so long before replying

Smile when you first go in, if try your best to act as if you're not nervous in the slightest you might find that you trick yourself too! I did this exam last year and got half way through my aural questions to find that I'd totally forgotten the music I was being asked about, guessed all of the answers, smiling as if I knew I was getting them all right. It turned out that I got full marks in those questions and the examiner had no idea about my strange memory loss . So just Smile!

Yes, try to look pleased with yourself even if it goes wrong!
I'm an ex-nervous wreck so this subject is close to my heart.
Remember that the examiner is on your side and wants you to show what you can do, they are willing you to do well. It's not an audition, you are not competing with anyone else.
Play in front of others so that you experience how nerves will affect you. They will affect you, so don't kid yourself you will be able to not be nervous. Learn how you respond to nerves so there is no surprise on the day about how you will feel, and so you will know what feelings to expect and how it will affect your playing. Practice in your mind what you will say to yourself and how you will react when (not if) you make a mistake. If you prepare how to cope with mistakes in this way, hopefully one mistake will not make the rest of your performance crumble. Also, practice practice practice practice practice.....reach for a level beyond what you are being examined in so it feels easy. Then hopefully when you factor in nerves it will still be comfortable enough to play in spite of them.
Good luck!

One thing I always tell my students as they prepare for exams is to practise recovering from slips and carrying on with the scale / piece as if nothing had happened. If you are used to recovering, it won't cause the whole performance to collapse or grind to a halt.

There is a thread about performance anxiety in the General Forum; you might pick up some tips from there as well.