Wanna be a Better Performer…? Perform often.

Sounds obvious but for beginning singers, it’s really frightening to perform. Recently I had a small salon for my students.  The reason I do casual salons and less formal concerts with my students is so they can have stepping stones to more formal performance settings.  In the salon, there are about 10-15 people there.  The student introduces the song and what they have been working on technically or musically i the past few months.  Then they sing  through the song.

Everyone did fantastic.  They each sang two songs.  The revelation when singing for someone other than me, the teacher, is that habits come out that have not been there before.  Like clenching the hands, forgetting to breath, looking down at the ground, tightening the shoulders, and so on.  These habits are not present in lessons, so it must be nervousness from performing.  This is totally normal and something every singer/performer must deal with.

Tthe next time you perform which will hopefully be soon…..Pay attention to your body while you are performing AND ask someone in the room if they noticed any nervous habits.  Most of us have them, so no need to take offense. 🙂  Once you’ve performed a few times, you really start noticing what your particular habits are.   If you are brave enough, video tape your next performance.  It will probably be revealing to you.  That is when you start addressing  them.  Here’s the catch.  You have to perform for them to come out and that means it may take 5 to 10 to 50 times to really get a handle on them.  For every person it’s different.  Like every kind of growth, it takes time and practice, so be patiently persistent.