# 106: Overcoming Performing Anxiety with Anastasia Cunningham

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/topmusic-piano-podcast-6711808/106-overcoming-performing-anxiety-with-anastasia-cunningham
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/topmusic-piano-podcast-6711808/106-overcoming-performing-anxiety-with-anastasia-cunningham.md
Podcast: [TopMusic Piano Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/topmusic-piano-podcast-6711808)
Published: 2026-03-20T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://topmusic.co/piano-podcast/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7e60f8f9-099e-4635-a204-da010af29f94.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/topmusic-piano-podcast-6711808/episodes/106-overcoming-performing-anxiety-with-anastasia-cunningham
Duration seconds: 2465

## Resource

Performance anxiety is something many musicians quietly struggle with, even teachers who spend their days guiding students through music. In this episode, I'm chatting with Anastasia Cunningham about her journey from analytical chemist to piano teacher, and how she gradually worked through years of performance anxiety to become a more confident and resilient musician. Anastasia shared how she began her career in analytical chemistry before becoming a piano teacher. How she discovered the Kodály approach through her daughter’s music classes. How the Kodály method helped deepen her understanding of musicianship and music learning. The importance of teaching musicianship alongside piano technique. Her transition from Kodály teaching into running her own piano studio. How performance anxiety had affected her since childhood. Why even demonstrating pieces for students once felt very intimidating. How perfectionism made her performance anxiety worse over time. Returning to piano lessons as an adult helped rebuild her confidence. She emphasized the importance of teachers continuing their own musical growth. Why she began intentionally seeking performance opportunities to build resilience. How regular performing helped strengthen her confidence as a musician. Anastasia encouraged teachers to embrace mistakes and focus on progress. Links Mentioned Get your EARLY BIRD tickets for TopMusicLive 2026 here. The TopMusic Teacher Guide to Fearless Performing Anastasia's Facebook page: Piano with Anastasia Anastasia's Instagram page: @pianowithanastasia Practice Hacks for Musicians Course by Noa Kageyama Today's Guest Anastasia Cunningham is a UK-based piano teacher who has been teaching from her home studio in Hampshire since 2015. Her professional background began far from the music…

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