Dr. David Lee Fish, an associate professor of music, is the founder of Catawba College’s Popular Music and Music Business programs. He has authored a book entitled “Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day STAGE FRIGHT Solution” that is being widely acclaimed as providing sage advice to performers, public speakers and everyday people about how to quell and overcome stage fright.
At Catawba, he directs a thriving program that attracts talented performers from across the country who have won national music competitions and competed on series like “American Idol,” and “America’s Got Talent.” For the past 15 years, Fish has served as a music faculty member at Catawba College, including seven years as the P.J. Leonard Chair of the Music Department. He is also the cofounder and past president of the Association for Popular Music Education, an innovative organization that brought Popular Music educators from colleges and universities that offered that academic program of study together as collaborators and advocates rather than as competitors.
An accomplished saxophonist, Fish has also performed with the likes of Cher, the Temptations, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
Stage fright reigns as the number one fear of people everywhere. Unfortunately, not much can be done about it other than imagining the audience in its underwear, right? “Not at all,” argues veteran educator, professional musician, frequent public speaker, and performance anxiety authority Dr. David Lee Fish. “There is an effective solution for stage fright, and it's deceptively simple. You find it in accepting rather than fighting your anxiety.”
That is the unexpected message found in Fish’s just-released Createspace book/e-book, “Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day STAGE FRIGHT Solution.” It also serves as the basis for his popular online training course that helps musicians, actors, and other performers, as well as public speakers, athletes, and even casual sufferers with this menace.
Stage fright can exact a heavy toll with the physical discomfort and emotional distress it provokes. “Plus, you'll never achieve your full potential as a performer, public speaker, or athlete until you find your way beyond it,” Fish adds. “The stakes are that high.”
According to the author, an individual can find release from stage fright through acceptance of it. The results can be both quick and dramatic, with many seeing significant improvement almost immediately. As a substantial benefit, the type of acceptance he teaches is the gateway to flow—the mental state of deep, energized focus closely associated with peak performance in the arts, public speaking, and sports.
Fish’s work has found backing from well-placed professionals like Hollywood actor Mel Fair, “He has helped me better understand that stage fright can be managed and put in its place with the proper perspective.” Artist manager Pat O’Connor, who has worked with such acts as Taylor Swift and the Band Perry, goes so far as to say Fish, “is revolutionizing entertainment and public speaking. He is a modern-day Dale Carnegie.”
The author’s book has just debuted as a #1 New Release on Amazon and has received strong reviews. Readers’ Favorite said it is “most highly recommended” and “a great book for anyone looking to combat their fears and live the life they would love.” The Midwest Book Review wrote that Fish “uses his personal experience and professional knowledge to provide tested solutions that work on many levels.” MJV Literary Review declared “Goodbye Butterflies” to be “A great success of a book, with something for everyone.”
“Goodbye Butterflies “stands as a culmination of Fish’s work in helping individuals from many walks of life with their performance anxiety. The approach grew out of his study with the same Korean Zen master who inspired the father of the mindfulness revolution, Jon Cabot-Zin. He initially applied the ideas to his own anxiety as a young saxophonist sharing the stage with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Cher, and the Temptations. Fish continued to develop the approach while teaching students in the popular music degree program he directs at Catawba College in North Carolina.
“Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day STAGE FRIGHT Solution” is available through Amazon. A free sample chapter can be found on the Goodbye Butterflies website at www.goodbyebutterflies.com.
