155-word version:
As soon as I begin, I might as well announce that "I have unassailable stage fright," because my voice shivers and my parlance quickens as if being chased by a mad dog. Unaware of such anxiousness, my teacher encourages me to continue as I practiced...

167-word version:
From a distance, it is difficult to discern my strained visage. But as soon as I begin, I might as well announce that “I have unassailable stage fright,” because my voice shivers and my parlance quickens as if being chased by a mad dog...