This can be a terrifying experience for some fine Musicians. It sometimes stems from teasing they got from family members. I'll never forget when my college Piano Professor asked if I had an older sibling who played Piano. I wondered how he knew? My older brother played Piano, & since the piano was in my bedroom, could not throw me out while he practiced. I sat on the edge of the bench watching, & he once clobbered me for playing his recital piece when I was 3 years old. Needless to say, I had always felt quite intimidated playing Piano in front of anyone. AFter talking about it with my prof, I was able to work on it, & over a period of years it became much easier. I have to admit that it's still hard for me to play piano in front of my brother, but singing & playing any other instrument for any size audience was never a problem.


The other philosophy of how to not have stage fright, practice makes perfect:

We never allowed by our mother to have stage fright. My brothers & I were simply required to perform on demand. No crying or hesitation allowed.
   When I was a very young child, my mother had me on a chair singing "Fairest Lord Jesus" for the relatives, and then the church. In our family, gathering around the piano for a "sing" was the norm, so when we were placed in front of a congregation or crowd, we simply sang as usual. As we learned instruments, ditto.
   So, when teaching, I did my best to ready my classes for performances by having the other teachers & students stop in, taking them to nursing homes and practicing entering & exiting the stage several times.
   For some children it was difficult. I tried to help them understand that their feelings were completely normal, it takes every single one of us to complete the ensemble, and that we would all encourage each other, & sing/play together & have a fine performance.