You're a vocal coach dealing with a self-doubting vocalist. How can you help boost their confidence?

Taking vocal warm ups into the world of play and creativity can help relax the mind, letting go of limiting beliefs. When the ridiculousness of the moment takes over, a student can have that moment of ecstatic release. Self-doubt often comes from internal pressure to "be" something specific, but when all the bets are off and the joy of creating comes back, they can realize that there's nothing to doubts. Their voice matters, their way of vocalizing is unique, and it's time for time for them to shine. "Play is serious work." - Fred Rogers

Concentrate on the positive, on what worked in the session, encourage and support compassionately. This will in turn relax the student and allow them to remove the self doubt.

Normalmente tendemos a estimar menos tiempo del realmente necesario para dominar una habilidad. Tener expectativas irreales puede llevarnos a la frustración, al no conseguir la meta en el tiempo y forma que idealizamos. Una práctica de ayuda, además de determinar una meta, es saber el punto de inicio y los pasos intermedios. Tener una noción clara del camino a recorrer y dejar de idealizar avances gigantescos en tiempo récord, permite concentrar nuestra energía en las acciones y prácticas que realmente nos van a llevar a la meta planteada. Hacer una ruta y revisiones periódicas (mi recomendación es que sean mensuales) es clave para que los clientes noten en qué punto se encuentran y a mantener la motivación a lo largo del camino.

I find it very effective to discuss everything. To put things in perspective, to question the doubts, therefore face them and to check the reality. I find that it opens the mind and removes the fear and doubt.

I once had a client who was sassy and confident as hell. She knew how to show up with bravado and she spoke her mind. What her heart wanted was to be soft, to be soft and open enough. Tears streamed down her face as she sang, "It is safe for me to love." She had so much love to give, but it was buried beneath the bravado. In that phrase, a depth of creativity and a hidden facet of her vocal expression emerged. It was transformative.

It is often helpful to research about others experiences. Knowing that you are not the only one dealing with whatever you are dealing with also puts everything in perspective. Sharing your experiences with others is risking to be vulnerable. I believe it is extremely helpful.

Community comes when we allow ourselves to be supported. To embody the person who feels the support of everyone around her. It's about feeling the deserving of support and being the kind of confident that overcomes self-doubt. In sessions, this looks like expressions of asking for support from an embodied place of knowing it will be there. The simple practice of asking. As the coach, I embody that peer support for them as they move through the exercises.