How to ease nerves for your first live performance: Vocal edition
Everyone, are you enjoying your vocal life?
As we head into the season of cultural and school festivals, I imagine there are students out there who will be performing live in front of people for the first time.
So, I’d like to share some tips on how to ease those first-live jitters.
This message is for you—the one trembling with fear right before the big performance!
Do some stretching
Anyway, let’s get moving.
Try rotating your neck, loosening your wrists and ankles, doing something like radio calisthenics, or opening your mouth wide to move and relax the area around your mouth.
From a vocal production standpoint, doing stretches beforehand is effective.And by moving your body, I think it will also ease your nervousness a bit.
Try to clear your mind and focus on loosening your body.
Reference:Boost concentration with finger stretches before guitar practice
Do vocal exercises
Try humming, actually making a sound with your voice, or doing a lip roll.
Try speaking out loud and check whether you can produce your voice properly.
If you feel like you’re not producing things the way you usually do, check how wide your mouth is opening and adjust it until it feels like it normally does.
It's much more reassuring than realizing after the show starts that your voice isn't coming out.I think I can do it.
Once the adjustments are made, you should be able to face the real event with confidence.
I’ve written about pre-show preparations like stretching and vocal exercises on my blog as well.
Please refer to this article as well.
Reference:Do good singers do this? Pre-singing preparations | dn-voice
Try some visualization practice.
Please imagine yourself walking up onto the stage right now.
On stage, how are the band members arranged, and what kind of performance are they giving?
What kind of stage is it, and about how many people are in the audience in front of you?
Facing those people right in front of you, how will you sing, and what kind of performance will you give?
If you can imagine the details in advance, getting on stage will no longer be your “first time.”
It's okay to fail, so let's experience a live stage in our minds at least once.
Look back on the practice we've done so far.
Let's look back on the practice we've done so far.
There are so many things we’ve been doing in practice—memorizing the lyrics, checking the pitch and rhythm in detail, and reviewing our posture and performance.
While recalling those things, let's review them again.
It can mean reviewing so as not to make mistakes in the real thing, but there’s another meaning as well.
Thinking back to when we first started practicing, I’m sure we were less capable than we are now—half-remembering the lyrics and melody, and not really getting our voices out.
When you think back on it, haven't you become able to do quite a lot of different things?
It’s also proof that you’ve practiced diligently.
Let's be confident.
All that’s left is to do it the same way in production.
Assume that feeling nervous is absolutely inevitable!
For me, the first time I sang in public was at a recital for the vocal school I had just started attending as a hobby, and I remember my legs wouldn’t stop shaking even though I was only singing in front of about thirty people.
At times like that, the trembling in my legs won’t stop, no matter how hard I try.
So I think it’s best to take a bold stance and think, “So this is what it means to sing in front of people!”—and actually go in with the mindset of enjoying the nervousness instead.
Don’t be more surprised than necessary at the fact that you’re nervous.
I always get nervous.
When I get nervous, it’s just right to be able to look at myself objectively and think, ‘Ah, so this is how I get.’
Recall experiences when you’ve felt nervous so far.
Anything is fine, but have you ever had an experience where you felt nervous?
- I got nervous competing in a fierce battle for the championship after entering the club’s tournament.
- I gave a speech in front of the public at a national speech contest and felt nervous.
- Even though it wasn’t anything that serious, I got nervous when I was about to cross at a red light and a police car passed nearby.
- I got nervous when I tried to confess to a girl in my class.
...anything is fine, whatever it is.
When you recall times you were nervous, you should also understand, “So this is what it feels like when I get nervous.”
This ties into what we said earlier about “you will always feel nervous,” but if you know what you’re like when you’re nervous, I think you won’t be unnecessarily startled by it.
Lastly
So, I’ve shared some ways to ease your nerves.
To feel nervous also means to feel anxious before an unknown experience.
So it’s good to double-check what you’re actually able to do and to remind yourself what happens to you when you get nervous.
In the end, it’s also important to accept that it’s okay to feel nervous and reset your mindset.
The most important thing is to enjoy the performance!
This sums it up.
Now then, enjoy a fun vocal life!