Making music used to be fun...
But now, there are two versions of you:
The one in the practice room, and the one that shows up when something is on the line.
Let's turn the stage back into your playground.
Performance coaching for musicians preparing for career-defining auditions, competitions, and important performances
Most of the musicians I work with are technically excellent and spent years perfecting their craft.
But their best music stays in the practice room.
The moment someone is listening, it gets small, careful, safe... it stops sounding like them.
Because at some point, being watched started to feel like being judged.
And it's hard to access your years of skills and creativity when it feels like your future is on the line.
That's why performing well while you're nervous is a different skill from performing well alone.
It can be learned... but most conservatories never touch it.
Hi, I'm Gökçe.
I'm a performance coach for musicians
Here's who I work with:
Musicians preparing for the moments that actually matter... like the auditions that advance your career, the competitions that open doors, the performances where people decide if you're someone to watch.
We build the mental systems that let your years of technical training actually show up when the pressure's on.
Trusted by musicians from top conservatories, state orchestras, and national opera and ballet companies across Europe, North America, Australia, and the UK.
Performing can feel sustainable... and enjoyable.
When it comes to music, there are three things I refuse to compromise on:
1) Joy is non-negotiable.
Nobody wants to turn 80 and realize they never enjoyed the career they chose out of love. Joy is what makes the music come alive, and what makes colleagues and audiences want to be near you.
2) It has to work on the worst days.
What I teach has to hold up when you’ve slept badly, the warm-up went sideways and nothing went to plan. Maybe not your very best performance, but still recognizably you.
3) It moves you toward who you want to be.
How you practice and perform should be a choice, rather than a habit nobody ever questioned. That way you don’t wake up one day exhausted and wondering how you got here.
This is mental training for serious musicians...
But serious never had to mean joyless.
That's why I developed The Confident Musician Method™.
Ways to Work with Me
Curious about how to pronounce my name?
Click below to listen:
** Spoiler Alert: It sounds like 'gotcha' with a K instead of T... kind of.
My Favorite Posts From
The Confident Musician Blog
Letters On
Music, Practice & Mindset
Trusted by 300+ musicians in 19+ countries and counting...
Cute(ish) Tax:
The judgmental team
Every Tuesday morning, a Letter lands in your inbox — a short read with stories from the coaching studio, ideas worth thinking about, and the kind of perspective that helps you show up steadier on stage and off.
Sometimes I'll share a small gift, point you to a new piece I've written, or let you know when I'm opening up coaching spots or creating something you might want in on.
Oh... and you’ll get exclusive access to my cats’ most judgmental photos. Obviously.
![All the reasons why just practicing the music is enough, and you don’t need to build skills for performing under pressure 🫠
If one of them made you wince, DM me 501 and I’ll send you the details of my Performance Strategy Session 💙
[Performance Anxiety, Musician Mindset, Mental Coaching for Musicians, Audition Nerves, Audition Preparation, Classical Musician, Professional Musician, Orchestral Musician, Singers, Practice Room, Music Performance Coach, Confident Musician, Mental Coaching for Musicians]](https://scontent-sea5-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/902049144_18117901208590172_259021542459581710_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=si5vKC1f9NEQ7kNvwFJChCs&_nc_oc=AdpA3Ak98BEUDkQF12Ps_IRq2xzHrwtC5mvlatMb-GYWCZ1em7rBpO9gzTO8bCi3Y80&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLbEl1AmqVnavH7ufV9-ySjUGbY1jkyK9JZ1CDd1YGs4azVPxVdrkO0qlxuWTAHR-pDvPUjkQhr&oh=00_AQSX2yaHVfG_iFvUE6ZdeiOS5GniZ3bcvcHuTop7lklcxg&oe=6AFA47BD)
![Music students played the same passage four times. Only one thing changed 🎹
It’s called external focus of attention (Wulf, Höß & Prinz, 1998; Duke, Cash & Allen, 2011).
Your attention goes to the music, and your body takes care of the movement.
If your technique gets louder in your head the moment an audition starts, DM me 501 and I’ll send you the details of my Performance Strategy Session 💙
[Weird Psychology, Psychology For Musicians, External Focus, Focus Of Attention, Audition Nerves, Stiff Fingers, Woodwind Player, Performance Anxiety, Audition Preparation, Classical Musician, Professional Musician, Music Performance Coach]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/892790175_1667068735123467_5456966969699864718_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=101&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0xJUFMuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=wJXO2-L7bmkQ7kNvwGDtNeW&_nc_oc=AdpMkMAzoAraRQ5AYHr1Ken-AUeRkgsmjzNJpa6FzZNMDJ8qmiQa4tRxXF01vyRDRQ4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQL25wNDr3PoHD0ZSiIsbse-TSCSJ0er_Wd_gbQATAtMGuv6eTU6hb-MQbr2nM5m-XNwVotl-sdR&oh=00_AQQIF54eavSQjq9Gc4F-CKDZBn_J0BwM2JLzNwZwksSRow&oe=6AFA295F)
![This question tends to arrive late at night, often after an audition has already replayed itself a few times in your head…
Most of us spend thousands of hours in practice mode, stopping and fixing, and almost no time in performance mode, where nothing stops. So the first time we really use it is often the audition itself.
Luckily, performance mode can be practiced too, and it gets easier with small, regular reps.
(Btw, starting small matters. Jumping straight into a big audition usually just teaches your brain that being heard is dangerous.)
If you have an audition or concert coming up and you’d like to plan this together, DM me 501 and I’ll send you the details of my Performance Strategy Session 💙
[Audition Preparation, Performance Nerves, Practice Room, Practice vs Performance, Orchestra Audition, Classical Musician, Opera Singer, Musician Mindset, Playing Under Pressure, Stage Fright, Mental Coaching for Musicians, Music Performance Coach]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/886936528_18117618386590172_2509712720381879492_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=icqfO0JIaKwQ7kNvwE-wWtO&_nc_oc=Adom8RmHLJmFnJs8I3lAZU1thLj7KdeE_LTOLqsvYTVILhv-hz7annlalhwAdYS137U&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIn9AxV8j4KORbPgge-aRY_RVgEO6gQNUeMkjzCrEekMEka_moS3AYVEeEobQdKemUHWKEFXWLA&oh=00_AQQ4lcU7BzQhSI6-GGoyQrrON-s2X-MgHmwiXBfJDuKriw&oe=6AFA5A08)
![There’s a particular way musicians say “Yeah, I’m living the dream”.
A half-smile. Eyes drifting slightly to the side, sometimes looking down.
And technically, it’s true.
They’re doing the thing they dreamed about at 15:
The orchestra, the stage, the opera house, the freelance life… and those 2 seconds of silence after the music ends, before the audience starts to clap.
The 15-year-old version of the dream just didn’t include the 6am trains, the audition circuit, or practicing for hours with no one clapping.
So that one sentence carries a lot:
Pride, tiredness, a bit of disappointment, and the quiet worry that you’re not supposed to feel any of it while technically “doing what you love”.
An AI would take it at face value. I notice the half-smile and the drifting eyes, then ask: “Which part of that dream can we bring into your current life?”
That’s often where our first conversation really starts.
If you’re living the dream (with a half-smile), DM me 501 and I’ll send you the details of how we can work together 💙
[Musician Mindset, Musician Burnout, Music Career, Freelance Musician, Classical Musician, Professional Musician, Singers, Orchestral Musician, Music Performance Coach, AI and Music, Mental Coaching for Musicians]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/887349781_18117182492590172_5074689375689675200_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0xJUFMuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=3QBU1Lu_UbcQ7kNvwGdbitg&_nc_oc=AdqGv0wrGl-kkutIv6u2cq-yewCXcfxR2Kakmm7J14eF7K255VTSSPBHGWpEtihsktE&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIp9jWWCJHCDmBDTJsgZZQmR5iewpnzRFGZcwtEdcASlIfz4dfq62aIwnCkiNr7o4oF1Or-oilQ&oh=00_AQS3KjfbJ6aqplEEtpcyLqRNgJimQXDJM3IG5OtmiKkVow&oe=6AFA467A)
![When I first met these lovely people (for my first master’s in interior architecture), I expected wisdom about aging…
But what I kept hearing instead was “I still feel like a kid inside”.
Some of them had waited 50 years to do the things they’d wanted to do as children.
When they finally did, life got more fulfilling and fun again.
I’d love for musicians to get there a lot sooner.
Send this to the musician friend whose inner kid could use a little more airtime 💙
[Musician Mindset, Music Career, Musician Burnout, Joy in Music, Enjoying Practice, Professional Musicians, Classical Musicians, Singers, Music Students, Playfulness, Performance Coach, Confident Musician]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/883033518_18116912576590172_5182351345570101397_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=108&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=oTU8eTC1fxsQ7kNvwGes7mM&_nc_oc=AdpIUtmeXE29r9RyvcnWqMTkpI_YLTEnK0MSsPVVwxm3M7uJLNHErsmq1J0S09Bpjls&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKDiIKk0NqPOlLIoZaIN0mdzbWMr1Srl5_zAy6UJ66fk5BsRkMjIBQP8_7dnyNLalzl8OsY67L-&oh=00_AQRa5oJ9cNXDGQPa7rtUB3cccTloCn8Iagi9Jm-mvovqUQ&oe=6AFA5562)
![A near-perfect quiz show contestant spilled coffee all over himself… and people liked him more for it ☕
It’s called the pratfall effect (Aronson, Willerman & Floyd, 1966).
(Please don’t start cracking notes on purpose to look cute… though if you want to try that, I can’t really stop you 😇 )
If you’d like to stop performing around your mistakes, DM me 502 and I’ll send you the details of my Performance Strategy Session 💙
[Weird Psychology, Psychology For Musicians, Pratfall Effect, Performance Anxiety, Stage Fright, Fear Of Mistakes, Musician Mindset, Music Performance, Classical Musician, Professional Musician, Opera Singer, Music Performance Coach, Mental Coach for Musicians]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/881396684_1758555838564814_1119462492488274058_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=103&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0xJUFMuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=dzhzM9JAo9IQ7kNvwEr6sgK&_nc_oc=AdpM-rS-uoHgssIiNHtcxyo1if0ih6ghStcIQ1j6QOfjEzZ8gvzVONO8WqfQwLwaduU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQImmn_Bp-JSu5hBNxsjOMnO7ocQ8JjutxeNawm0AO8ucVaJr0j4cpUSXLldJnqgAobe38viuXtn&oh=00_AQSTtfibVdvqObNA5YsK24VubQGRIwN5Z8FvStHrumVs_A&oe=6AFA50B3)
![Not every performance feels like a gift…
(Even the ones you said yes to with a big smile.)
Normal pre-concert nerves are one thing…
Dread that follows you into every practice session is something else.
These are six questions I come back to with clients when a performance starts to feel heavier than they’d like.
They help you find what’s already working, and what you want to bring onto that stage.
Save this for the next time a concert date lands in your calendar, and send it to a colleague who’s preparing for one right now.
If you’d like to turn your answers into a performance plan, DM me 502 and I’ll send you the details of my Performance Strategy Session 💙
[Performance Anxiety, Stage Fright, Concert Nerves, Dreading A Performance, Performance Preparation, Recital Preparation, Preparing For A Concert, Solo Performance, Professional Musician, Classical Musician, Musician Mindset, Music Performance Coach]](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/886730003_18116641760590172_4986925527025456543_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=sKiU2hdhKjkQ7kNvwHKDHjU&_nc_oc=Ado27KCGy_qXx8Qix5JQyKBL6Bbd93K3XlK9izuHhojYVPvFZT0Kz5AfVq8oqUvuobw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=8XbP29AK4d9r7hOxus9nxw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIW6OUsylpG788ooavS28UfiBlEhW2p12OADtAM9rVzQA6ExnlmjIa40J1UHZx5vuIE5Anixi1f&oh=00_AQS2b53oEktpDCS8BeNLJ26h7pN54oUPFOFFbdjbZQ0W7w&oe=6AFA29C8)