PRACTICE ! PRACTICE ! PRACTICE ! I often ask my students the question , “ If you knew you were going to nail this song perfectly , would you still be nervous ?” Sometimes the answer is yes ( because of different fears ) but most of the time the answer is ,“ Probably not ”. In the same way that you likely wouldn ’ t be nervous if you were in front of a group of people and asked to state your name . Why ? Because you know your name . You know you can confidently speak it correctly . There ’ s no fear that you can ’ t accomplish that task . You need to feel the same way about the song you ’ re going to sing . You need to practice the song so much that you have confidence in every part of it . My teacher in college used to tell me that one , we can ’ t even begin to work on a song until its memorized and two , never sing anything in public that you haven ’ t sung at least 100 times in private .
If you have practiced a song until you know it 100 % but have concerns about a certain passage or note you have to sing in the song , then consider altering the part that frightens you . Do what you need to do to sing it with confidence . Better to simplify the song than to stress over it .
COMBINE When you practice , envision your audience . Imagine the audience in a realistic and relaxed way . Do a dress rehearsal in your mind until you can reconcile the fear you have with the reality of how well you are able to perform . If you are able to realistically imagine your audience while you sing , then it should be a simple thing to step onto the platform and recreate the same performance you had at home . Take advantage of the power of the mind God gave you . I often hear people share that they feel guilty about being nervous because praying and trusting God should be enough . I understand this , but I believe they are missing an element . God created you the way you are . We are given to a “ fight or flight ” mentality to protect us . God designed us in an incredibly unique way with come amazing mental capabilities . When we try to circumvent those and simply ask God to “ take away our fear ” without addressing what is directly before us first , it makes no sense . We need to acknowledge how our mind is working , thank God for it and do our part as well . Can God bless our wrong thinking ?
In conclusion , although I believe strongly that these approaches can help you deal with your “ stage fright ”, I realize that it might be a process that takes some time . When you have done all you can to prepare your heart , mind and voice as well as prayed and prepared yourself spiritually and still feel some of those annoying physical symptoms of anxiety , may I suggest a helpful supplement ? Hopefully you will get to the point where you can handle your emotions without any physical help , but I have found a supplement that works naturally with your body to help alleviate the physical symptoms that often accompany performance anxiety , It ’ s aptly called
Stage Fright and because I have found it so effective I carry it on my website .
I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what He wants . Hebrews 13:20
Sheri Gould Sheri is an internationally acclaimed vocal coach . She ’ s been helping artists and worshipers find their voice for over 40 years . For help and resources visit her site . www . SheriGould . com