A mistake handled calmly can protect the rest of the performance.

Audiences take their cue from the performer. A wrong note passed over lightly is often missed entirely, while the same note followed by a flinch, an apology, or a visible collapse becomes the thing everyone remembers. The error is rarely what damages the evening. The reaction is, because it invites the room to start watching for the next one.

Decide in advance what you will do when something goes wrong: breathe, carry on, fix it afterwards. Practicing the recovery is at least as useful as practicing the passage you are afraid of.