Life for a vocal percussionist is split into three zones: practice time, performance time, and the rest of your life. No matter how long you spend on the rest of your life, there are certain things you should be paying attention to during your practice and your performance that will improve your game. But practice-time thoughts and performance-time thoughts are very different!
When you're "in the woodshed" -- practicing -- concentrate on your sounds and your patterns. Slow everything down so that you can get a good look at what you're doing right ... and wrong. Most importantly: record what you're doing so that you can listen to yourself with your whole brain, instead of just with the parts that you don't need when you're creating a pattern. Then, once you have it perfected, "dial it in to 
your spinal cord" by doing it over and over again until you don't have to think about it. (Then record it again, and listen back, and find and correct the inevitable mistakes that crept in during your practice.) It's a lot of work, and it's worth it. Make it a habit.
When you're on stage, you know your part cold and clean. All you have to do is press the mental button marked "play" and good sound comes pouring out of you. This is the time to be thinking about the show and your part in it. Observe and improve. Listen: Is the bass with you rhythmically? If not, fix the problem, either by adjusting yourself or by getting his attention and working it out through subtle cues and body language. Listen some more: are you working synergistically with the rest of your group, or are you fighting against them sonically? Again, correct any problems you hear. What about your stage presence? Are you working with the other performers? Are you connecting with the audience, letting them feel the concert from your perspective? Observe and improve. If you're zoning out, you're not doing your job. And if you observe something you don't know how to improve, make a mental note to spend time working on it next time you're in the woodshed.
It takes a lot of work to be a great vocal percussionist, but what most people don't realize is much of that work is purely mental. Develop the habits of managing your mental game effectively, and watch your performance quality soar.
Until next time...
Stay in the pocket!
-Wes
Wes Carroll is the vocal percussionist for the House Jacks and All About Buford. His series of instructional DVDs are THE resource for vocal percussionists worldwide
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