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5 practical ways to overcome stage fright

Overcoming stage fright takes time and creative effort. But in my experience as a singer and voice teacher for over 25 years, I’ve found that with the right approach, most of us can drastically control and/or reduce the negative feelings associated with stage fright.

In short, YOU can overcome stage fright!

Clinical psychologist at Yeshiva University in New York. Shara Sand, (who also plays the trombone) says: “What happens primitively is that there is a kind of exposure and vulnerability.”

She explains that even though we know there is no great danger for us, we still experience the physical signs of impending danger: our mouth goes dry, our heart beats furiously, our hands sweat and may even tremble, our breathing patterns change. , and of course, there is the constant urge to go to the bathroom.

1. Are you really ready?

Have you prepared yourself the best you can?

Sometimes your feelings of stage fright are your body’s way of telling you that you’re not ready to perform in public yet. Make sure you have chosen something to sing that is within your current vocal abilities and that you have learned the piece(s) well. Poor preparation and a song that is too difficult will rightfully put you in a very vulnerable position.

2. Have you tried the shallower waters?

Time, patience, and practice help overcome stage fright.

So let’s assume you’ve prepared well and are singing the right music for you. You had the opportunity to act and stage fright overwhelmed you. You found yourself saying, “Never again!”

Now what?

If you don’t have the funds or access to a course on how to overcome stage fright and you’re in a do-it-yourself mode, here’s a fun next step:

First, find a non-threatening situation to sing.

When I lived in the country (first in the mountains of Vermont and then in a lake house in the Adirondack forest of upstate New York), I used to sing my newest or most difficult songs to the animals.

I’m not kidding!

She regularly sang for a large family of raccoons in Vermont, and for the resident groundhog, porcupine, and blackbirds in the Adirondacks.

This kind of performance preparation effort gives you a sense of humor about your performance. You also see where your mistakes will occur in a critical, but non-threatening situation. (“Critical,” because animals are difficult audiences, they get bored, yawn openly at your weakest attempts, and walk away.)

In my case, the raccoons were the ones yawning. Blackbirds would gather in the trees and chirp harshly when my high notes weren’t very good. And so I learned to laugh at myself and do better.

(Warning! – Do not sing loudly to babies or dogs. It may hurt their ears. Babies will cry. Dogs will whine.)

Next… turn to the humans on your quest to overcome stage fright. Invite one or two people to your starting scenario who won’t criticize you. They can be very young or very old. But their presence is necessary only to allow you to practice managing your nervous energy.

Take acting seriously.

For example, walk into the living room from the hallway as if you were walking on stage. Feel the nervous energy rise as you stand in front of your “audience.” Sing your songs with all your heart and with all your technical ability.

Afterward, don’t ask for feedback. You are not singing for others to tell you how to be a better singer. This exercise is to get your body used to feeling and dealing with the high energy required to sing well.

When you have done this exercise several times, begin to take yourself more seriously. because You are singing.

3. Do you have a purpose for your performance?

What do I understand by purpose? This is my purpose in singing: I choose to sing and/or write songs that have something to say that I strongly believe in and that I think might be of value to others. When I go on stage, I need to know that what I’m singing has this underlying purpose. Regardless of how nervous I feel, and after 30 years of acting, I still feel a lot of nervous energy, I tell myself, “this ‘performance’ is more important than ‘me’, so I’ll just relax a bit and give my listening.” the best possible”.

You also need to find your purpose for singing. It can be sharing your personal world with others. It may be to bring joy to your audience. It can be to raise money for an event or to support a social/political cause.

Regardless of what you choose as your purpose, I promise that keeping that in mind as you go onstage (or walk into an audition) will take a lot of the sting out of your stage fright. You will have something besides yourself to think about as you prepare to act.

4. Always Singing Better (Technical Development)

This one is very simple. As he improves his vocal technique (for example, he can sing high notes repeatedly during practice and can hold long phrases when rehearsing), he’ll be less and less afraid to go on stage.

Find a good voice teacher to learn the finer points of singing if you feel like your voice isn’t improving on your own or with recorded guidance. And practice constantly and well.

This is the key to overcoming stage fright.

5. Some secrets

Finally, here are some specific things you can do to perform less fearfully:

o Make sure that on the day of your performance you can have long periods of quiet time.

o Do some backstage breathing exercises. Look here for a good breathing exercise.

o If you feel frozen or paralyzed backstage, do some jumping jacks (for example, gently jumping up and down in place) to help release some of the imploded energy.

o When possible, go to the venue where you will be performing the day before the performance and stand on stage. If you can’t go there, try to find a picture of the room, room, or stage online and visualize yourself in that place.

For one last crazy but helpful piece of advice, repeat to yourself what Bill Murray’s crazy character in the movie “Meatballs” said, “It just doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter…” (A performance is something small in a big life.)

I wish you a great song!