Finding Calm in the Chaos - How Performing Arts Well-Being Training is Key to Longevity in the Arts

By Rita Gigliotti | Edited by Danielle Bissonnette

Performing arts students are no strangers to long rehearsals, late nights, and high-pressure performances. Whether they’re preparing for All-State, aiming for lead roles, or building a portfolio for college, by high school, the expectation is clear: perfection, endurance, and consistency.

These kinds of students push themselves to the absolute limit in their academics and performing arts work. They're often running on adrenaline, surviving on little sleep, and hoping their voice, body, and mind will hold up.

As a result, I hear them say things like this all the time:

👉 “I don’t sleep.”

👉 “I feel exhausted all the time.”

👉 “I just need to push through.”

But pushing through only works for so long. Students think they can just keep pushing, but then they get sick at the worst moment: right before a competition, an audition, or a performance. And in professional performing arts, you don’t get to “push through” forever. Burn-out can end the most promising career. So what can you do?

Whether you're trying to land the lead, place first chair, or get into a top program, talent alone isn’t enough. You have to build stamina. 

Taylor Swift sings on a treadmill to prepare for her tours. Broadway stars train their bodies and minds so they can perform 8 shows a week without losing their voices.

If you’re serious about your craft, you need these skills.

This Isn’t Just Another Workshop—It’s a Game Changer

I designed a 4-week program specifically for high-achieving young performers in high school who want to train smarter, not just harder. Over the course of four weeks, I’ll be guiding just 15 students through a performance-based well-being journey that will change the way they prepare, perform, and recover.

Here’s what you’ll get:

✔ A four-week guided journey for energy, stress management, and focus ✔ Daily exercises for performance stamina

✔ Real-world strategies to improve sleep, mental clarity, and long-term well-being ✔ Music and sound healing to deepen artistic expression

✔ Qigong training with a certified instructor

What Parents Need to Know

You’re investing in lessons, rehearsals, and competitions—but what if your child can’t physically sustain the pressure? Parents are often so focused on the formal steps to success like extra lessons and routine rehearsals, and they don’t always see the hidden stress that accumulates in young performers.

I often hear from parents who say, “I had no idea that the performing arts would require a whole other level of preparation.”

This program will help students from 8th to 12th grade:

✨ Maintain their health so they don’t burn out before big opportunities ✨ Build sustainable stamina so they can handle high-pressure performances ✨ Learn real-world techniques that professional artists use to manage stress

And beyond that, these skills aren’t just for music or theater. They apply to college, test-taking, and any high-stakes environment where focus, resilience, and energy matter.

🗓 Starts: TBD 📍 Location: Day Violins 14221A Willard Rd #500, Chantilly, VA 20151 💰 Cost: $60 for 4 weeks | $25 drop-in rate

This program is limited to 15 students. Reserve your spot now.

Rita is a private voice teacher, and the instructor for the Music for Well-Being program at George Mason University where she teaches lecture courses and directs the Healing Arts Ensemble for undergraduate and graduate students across campus. Previously Rita spent over 20 years in the classroom as a middle school and high school choral director before returning to graduate school to pursue a PhD in Music Education. Her research is currently focused on Music Teacher Well-Being.