Why do we do all of the hours, months, years of vocal studies? Do we do it for the sheer fun of the struggle? Because it is a struggle. Everyone has something that is hard for them. It might be breathing properly. It might be standing up straight. It might be raising the soft palate. It might be something as seemingly simple and yet hard to explain as finding the right note. Why do we do it? So that we can sing for other people and they won't run screaming from the room. We do it so we can perform. Don't misunderstand: I think the struggle is fun. I enjoy it. But, if I don't perform, I allow myself to get lazy. There really is a lot of work that goes into this, and without an ultimate reason for it, it is very easy to slack off.
Performing. There is nothing more frightening, or more fulfilling that I can think of. Well, OK, raising children was kind of frightening, and very fulfilling, so besides that. . . OK, yeah, being married to the Nameless Cynic for 24 years can also be frightening and . . . you get the idea. But performing ranks right up there! And performing is more in the moment. Let me try to explain -
Sometimes when I am singing I realize that the audience and I are both existing strictly in the moment. Nothing else matters but the current note. The past is done and gone. The future will come on its own. Outside events, worries, joys, whatever, are outside and don't matter. The only thing that matters is the note that is currently being sung. It's an amazing feeling. Most of our lives are spent worrying about the future or regretting the past, to let all of that go and exist in the moment is an almost unbearable gift.
But, performing has it's downside, too. Stage fright, jitters, butterflies in the tummy, whatever you want to call it, it can be scary standing up in front of a group of people and singing. I've played in piano recitals, and that's scary. I've played in guitar recitals, and that's scary, too. But singing is in a whole category by itself. When you're playing another instrument, if you mess up, you can lay part of the blame on the instrument. "I'd never played that piano before; the action was too stiff, and it threw me!" "My guitar string broke in the middle of the performance, it almost hit me in the eye!" That kind of thing. When you mess up while singing; it's all you. It's hard to get more personal than singing. And, It's hard to find something scarier than singing in front of a group of people. (OK, maybe bungie jumping off the Empire State Building, but that's another blog.)
How do we do it? There are a lot of ways, tricks, if you will.
1) Know your music. Do not neglect practice time because you think it's not cool, or not professional. It may seem like the pros don't practice all the time, but we do. And we've worked very hard to get to the level where it seems fast and easy. Hours and hours should go into whatever you are singing. The better prepared you are, the less reason you'll have to be nervous.
2) Keep in mind that chances are no one in the audience has your music. If you flub a word here or there or sing a note that isn't quite the right length, no one out there will have a clue. So long as you don't let them know! This means no grimacing, no head shakes, no frowns, nothing to let them know that you sang the wrong word.
This one backfired on me once, though. I hadn't sung in public for a few years, and was singing in a huge church choir in Sacramento. It was Christmas Eve, I had a solo in the oratorio. There were about 150 people in the choir, plus a 50 piece orchestra. Several of the choir members were lead singers with the Sacramento opera. As an aside, I was 7 months pregnant. (This becomes important later.) I was a nervous wreck. I knew my solo quite well, but, I was still a mess. I tried to tell myself that the congregation didn't have my music, and that was true. But the choir did. And they were the ones I wanted desperately to impress. It ended up being a good thing I was so pregnant, because the only way I could see my music clearly was to balance the folder on my preggo belly. My hands were shaking so badly, I couldn't hold it still! (The solo went just fine, and everyone loved it, but I was asked not to come back until after the baby was born. I was so big they were afraid I'd give birth right there in the choir loft!)
3) If you wear glasses - try singing without them. When I was younger I'd take my glasses off. I could still see my music, and still see the people, but they were fuzzy. It's hard to be scared of people who are fuzzy. This is a variation of the "imagine everyone is sitting in their underwear" ploy. That one never worked for me. It was just too silly and distracting. Nowadays, if you see me performing without my glasses, it's for one of several reasons: they don't fit the character; they're annoying me; or I'd like to see the music. Often I keep them on so I CAN see the audience. It is easier to connect with people when you can see them.
4) Visualize your performance. Don't dwell on the possible negatives, focus your mind on the best performance you can possibly give. This one needs to be done well in advance of the performance itself. Pick a quiet spot and close your eyes. Imagine every aspect of the performance; what the venue is like, how your voice sounds in the space. See the audience smiling, settling in to hear your song. Imagine singing the song, flawlessly. Hear how effortless the top note is, it's clear and ringing. Feel the energy flowing through your body as you sing the final note. There is a moment of silence. No one wants to disturb the shared experience, but then everyone bursts into applause.
But - also visualize things going wrong, here's the important part - see yourself dealing with it in a positive, creative, and fun way. Don't let the many things that can and do go wrong throw you for a loop. See them simply becoming another aspect of the overall performance.
Not long ago, in a performance of La Traviata, one of the party guests in the first act dropped a glass and it broke. There was now glass all over a part of the stage. My son, Chris, in the role of the butler, calmly went off stage, got a broom and dustpan, and swept up the mess, while the scene continued around him. They could have ignored the glass, but then there was a risk of someone getting cut. Some people in the audience thought that this was a planned part of the action. He didn't let this accident become a problem, he dealt with it in a very practical and creative way.
This type of visualization training is widely used in sports. Many highly successful business people use visualization on a daily basis. Listen to Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter talk about sports visualization.
Now, visualization will not take the place of practicing! The only thing that will take the place of practicing is MORE practicing! But, visualization helps athletes perform at a higher level. Why not use it to help you perform your song at a higher level? Are you getting the idea that singing and sports have a lot in common? Good!
5) Practice the whole performance, not just your song. Just before a performance or audition, I lead my students through what they'll be saying, and doing, even to leaving their seat and walking to the stage area. This is related to visualization, but is more physical. Anything you can do to make this process more familiar is probably a good idea.
6) Breathe! Dr. Dahlkoetter talks about it in the video, too. When you are standing in front of your audience, take a slow, deep breath, and let it settle. Don't hold your breath, just let it rest for a moment. I've talked about this before. It helps to calm you by breaking the cycle of shallow breathing that accompanies nervousness. It tells your body that you are taking control of this automatic function. And, it tells your audience that you have something worth listening to.
7) Smile! Everyone likes to see a smile. It makes us want to smile in return. But a smile can also reduce stress. When we smile the brain releases endorphins, natural pain killers, that help to slow you heart rate and make the tummy butterflies go away.
8) Embrace your fear. "What? Are you crazy?" I can hear you shouting. But, it's true. Stage fright isn't always a bad thing. A little bit of nervousness, a little bit of excitement, that can be what takes a performance to the next level. If you were completely comfortable, you wouldn't necessarily care if you were any good or not. How boring that would be to watch. But, a little fear keeps us all on our toes.
9) Know that if you do flub up, it's not the end of the world. Ralph Terry, a former major league baseball pitcher, and then professional golfer (See, more sports!) said this: "When you go out on the mound today, kid, just remember one thing. No matter what happens, win or lose, five hundred million Chinese don't care." (Expletive deleted.) Perhaps a tad brutal, but nonetheless true.
10) And finally, the best cure for stage fright is do get up and do it again, and again, and again. The more you perform, the easier it becomes. With more experience, comes more poise and confidence.
So, to all of my students performing next Sunday - have fun, practice, and breathe!
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