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Shell
 Sep 10, 07 - 2:28 PM |
Beating Nerves
I am being hit with severe cases of nerves, I attempted to audition for a choir and no matter how much preparation and able to sing fine before hand, i got in there and i could not get it together. Now i have this comp on sunday.....im hoping because im not singing fully (well in my mind im not singing fully) i should be ok because i will be acting through it. I can act and speak out infront of people but when i sing i feel so vunerable. Any tips, i have another choir audition tomorrow which i really want to finish the song this time. |
Georgina
Sep 21st, 2007 - 11:41 PM |
Re: Beating Nerves
I am sorry no one has replied as yet. How did it go? |
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Hannah Northedge
Oct 8th, 2007 - 9:36 PM |
Re: Beating Nerves
Hi there Shell How did your audition go? You'll be delighted to learn that nearly every performer gets nerves and that it is a very natural part of the job! Also singing is a very personal thing to do. I think it is more revealing than being an instrumentalist because you are addressing an audience directly with words, telling a story in your song. It is very heartfelt thing to do and reveals your inner self so it can make you feel very vulnerable and insecure. It's HOW you let nerves affect you that is the issue. If you can channel them into good energy like adrenaline, then they will work in your favour to create a dynamic and moving performance. If nerves get the better of you they can be debilitating. A great way of dealing with nerves before a performance or audition is to exert some energy if only to distract yourself from the nervous feeling! I perform alot professionally and whether I am singing in a small bar to 1 person with my jazz duo or a large full theatre fronting a big band, I always take time to shoot off to the ladies room or a quiet space to prepare myself and relax myself for the gig ahead. Try stretching and massaging any tension from your head, neck and shoulders. I always check to ensure my knees haven't locked backwards as tension really gathers there. Practice a stance with your feet shoulder distance apart and imagine your feet sinking into the ground through the floor to get of sense of really grounding you. Do this when you take your performing position too. It really makes you feel stronger and more confident. Create an open posture with your shoulders down and head proudly up too. Ensure there isn't any tension in your jaw by yawning a few times too. Before you perform always do some deep diaphramatic breathing. Breathing is the first thing to go to pot when you're nervous but the most vital thing for good singing so it's essential that you get this right. When you take in the air, remember the feeling of the air being supported as though you were filling a tyre of air around your waist, so that you can recreate this sensation before you sing to your audience. Take a breath and try holding the air for 4 seconds or so then releasing it slowly and powerfully. Try pacing around the room and taking a breathe in over, say, every 4 paces, holding for another 4 paces then realeasing for 4 paces. You can increase this as you wish. Do the sirening exercise where you create a police siren sound from your lowest to highest notes and back down again to an NG sound like the last 2 letters of the word SING. I always do this no matter who can hear me as I find it's a gentle exercise through my registers and over my transition and the vibrations wake up my resonating spaces. Humming will also help you to warm up effectively. Just hum through the song you'll be singing. Try singing a bit of your song too so you get a sense of how your voice is sounded at that minute in time. Your voice can sound very different from day to day depending on your mood, health, energy levels, events that have occured through out the day (if you've had an argument with someone for example!) and your emotional state of mind. It reflects all of these things and more! When I was younger I would go to many auditions and get very nervous and my way of ultimately dealing with it would be to remember that I had a good voice and could sing brilliantly at home alone but if I were to let nerves get the better of me, the audition panel would never ever hear what I was capable of and I would leave feeling angry with myself that I had let nerves colour my ability. It was almost defiance that helped me to channel nerves postively and I still use that thought today. Also, If I'm feeling jittery I think to myself that I have a right to go out there and sing and show people what I can do so I am going to be proud and strong and deliver to my audience. I treat it very professionally and think that my audience have the right to hear me singing my best if they have paid to see me, so nerves are not an option! I am sharing my gift with people who love music and they are on my side, rooting for me, so I let myself feel this connection and audience support when I sing to combat nerves too. Another way that I deal with nerves is if I'm feeling particularly fragile on a day when I have to do a concert and feel more jittery than normal, I assume a character as though I were an actress! It's as though I say to myself, "Tonight, Hannah you are going to play the role of a confident, charismatic jazz singer" and I stay in character throughout my show to help me get through these nerves. Remember to smile at your audience or audition panel as this releases feel good chemicals and dispels the onset of nerves. Assume a confidemnt pose, speak to your audience confidently (plan out what you'll say in advance if you think nerves will make you forget). If an audience thinks you are confident and comfortable they will be too and it will put everyone at ease. Crucially, make sure you are very well prepared and know your music and words inside out. Dress comfortably as nerves make you play with shoulder straps that fall down or tug at short skirts! Drink plenty ot water before and throughout your performance. Do everthing in advance to ensure you feel at ease when performing for your audience. I was at a singing seminar recently and one of the speakers said something very apt and true, that it is only a song it isn't life and death. Enjoy the moment and the gift of singing don't let nerves take the pleasure away from you! Feel free to eamil me if you wnat to chat more.... Best wishes Hannah (Vocaltutor teacher SE London) |
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Cathy Hart
Oct 9th, 2007 - 7:07 AM |
Re: Beating Nerves
Hi Shell I totally agree with Hannah. I have been gigging and auditioning for almost 10 years and I still get nervouse before I perform, but it's learning how to deal with them and accepting them that is the key. I believe that a certain amount of nerves are necessary for a great performance as it means that you really do care about your what you're doing and the adrenaline will help you focus on what you need/want to do. I now love that nervous/adrenaline buzz I get from performing. By accepting them, I'm not working against my body and can positively channel the energy by breathing, doing a good warmup routine (so that I know I am vocally 'ready' for the performance) along with some positive thinking. I also, for larger gigs, give myself an on-stage persona so that even if I (the normal-me at home) am having a confidence crisis, the 'me on stage' can still get the job done in a confident, relaxed manner. Psychology plays a huge part in performance so you've got to take a firm hand with those negative thoughts and remind yourself why you want to audition/perform and what you're goals are. It's getting into the right frame of mind - if you know your material and have prepared well for the audition/performance (drinking lots of water, doing a good warmup) then logically tell yourself there is no reason why you can't sing in front of people the way you sing at home. I do a relaxation tapping exercise when I need to regain control. It was featured by Paul Mckenna and uses pressure points and positive tapping to channel energy positively and reduce stress/tension in the body. It also works as a very nifty distraction for a while!I, like Hannah, find a quiet area in the toilets to do my breathing and tapping. It doesn't work for everyone (and you can feel a little silly doing it at first) but has certainly helped me and some of my performer friends. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you the details. The bottom line is to make sure you enjoy your performance. Although it's nerve racking to sing in front of a panel of strangers, if they can see that you're enjoying yourself, they will be more likely to enjoy your performance too and you're more likely to do a better job. Afterall, you can't expect an audience to enjoy what you're doing if you wish you were somewhere else. This, in turn, should help you relax and show off your full potential. Any live performance experience you can get, even if it's just karaoke in front of friends/family/strangers, will help you to get a better understanding of how you react when you sing in front of an audience so get yourself out there and sing whenever you can. Embrace your nerves as a challenge rather than an obstacle holding you back. Hope that helps and I wish you all the best for the future. Cathy x |
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