Confidence is internal, cockiness is external. Believing in yourself and understanding the value you bring to an ensemble is great, but thinking you’re better than everyone or you’re so good you don’t even have to practice is where you cross the line from confidence to cockiness. A confident person has a true, realistic awareness of both strengths and weaknesses, a cocky person has inflated (often false) beliefs about themselves and never admits when they’re wrong.

A big part of being cocky is your need to tell everyone how good you are. Saying things like "I'm better than you" or "I'm the best person here" puts others down and that comes off in a negative way. But saying "I'm going to rock the performance tonight" or "I'm really proud of how I'm doing right now" are more about self appreciation and that is a positive thing. ⠀

The best way to show your confidence isn’t by telling people, but by showing them how great you are through your performance. Clean beats and solid body movement go a long way in this activity. The masters of anything are usually the quiet ones, until they play and knock the house down.⠀

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So stay positive and keep focusing on doing YOUR personal best every day. Believe in what you’re doing, stay humble, and when the time comes, let your performance do the talking.