Performance Anxiety for Singers: 5 Steps to Silence the Great Saboteur, Shame + Innovative Solutions
Performance anxiety can hit at any time in your career. Some performers struggle with it more than others. It occurs at all levels, among beginners as well as top musicians. Women appear to be somewhat more susceptible to it than men, though it may also be that women are more open about it.?
Generally, performance anxiety does not just go away on its own and a focused approach leads to a reduction of the problem. Anxiety is not just an inconvenient side-effect of the profession, it can break or seriously hinder a musician’s career. Science has proven that when musicians or athletes rehearse their performances ahead of time, they perform up to 30% better. Research among professional musicians shows that 60% of musicians suffer from stage fright, among whom 20% to a serious degree which hinders them in their professional career.
Who Suffers Most?
It’s more common than you think. Surprisingly many artists who struggle with performance anxiety are usually quite advanced in their craft. The performance requires a lot of concentration to deliver on a high level. Well-known stars are known to have performance anxiety. Artists like Adele, Andrea Bocelli, Beyonce and Lady Gaga among many others admit to experiencing anxiety before shows. Barbara Streisand suffered from stage fright so much that she didn’t perform for many years.
In addition, if you were affected by criticism in your family or early life, or experienced emotional or psychological or physical trauma —you may struggle more. From early childhood trauma I struggled with performance anxiety all throughout my career. This is because the fear of criticism or rejection will keep you from wanting to perform —and for fear of exposure. It’s mainly a subsconscious thing that is out of your control.
1. Expect to Be Nervous
One of the top techniques in dealing with any kind of performance anxiety is to expect to be nervous. Trying not to be nervous tends to focus the brain on the nervousness itself which is not where you want to be. When you expect to be nervous, it helps to work with the situation instead of being blindsided. Adrenalin is a part of the energy required to perform but, when accompanied by nervousness it tends to cause shortness of breath. The nervousness is accompanied by thoughts of panic or fear of criticism or failure. Learning breathing techniques as well as self-talk and goal setting that can help keep nerves under control.?
For your next performance try expecting the nerves to kick in, practice breath control and self-talk to scale down expectations to keep your feet more on the ground. Allow yourself to be where you are and focus on your performance as an experiment in staying grounded. Treat your performance like a practice run.
2. Set a Personal Goal
Putting your attention on a personal goal helps you to focus on the performance instead of the audience or fear of being exposed or criticized. Focus on the music, staying present to it and lower your expectations of your own performance and of the audience reaction. This helps you to be “in the moment” focusing on the task at hand where you can give a more successful performance and not be in your head going in the wrong direction.
Here is an example of setting a personal goal. Set a goal, that will help you get to where you want to be. For example: most performers who struggle with nerves feel an out-of-body sensation that makes it harder to perform. “I aspire to arrive in my body by the end of the first verse.” This way you don’t expect yourself to not be nervous at the start and you give your body a direction to achieve your goal.
3. Alternative Methods
As a holistic vocal coach and vocal health expert into natural health, I have many secret weapons to help performers calm their nerves for performance (that are not a shot of tequila!)
One remedy I have used myself and with my students that has proven extremely helpful is the homeopathic remedy Gelsemium Sempervirens. My experience is that is takes a little bit of the edge off so you can concentrate more on the performance. Highly effective.
I also recommend meditation to help with your focus and to calm your mind-body connection. This is quite useful to deal with stressful circumstances and performance.
Another method I have found helpful is acupuncture. This can also help the mind-body connection and calm nerves.?
4. Self-Worth vs. Applause
If you struggle with mental health performing can be more difficult.?
And if were affected by criticism in your family or early life, or experienced emotional or psychological or physical trauma —you may struggle more. I have had emotional trauma in my early life and I have struggled with performance anxiety all throughout my career. It has kept me off-stage more than I would have liked.
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Many / most artists /people have issues with self worth. It’s not your fault, it’s our conditioning (society). We’re raised to treat others better than we treat ourselves. We aren’t taught to care for ourselves – enough.?
We might come from families that didn’t value themselves – or know how to.?
Many musicians are driven to create music to express themselves coming from things that either damaged their self-worth or are looking for self-esteem which relies on external factors.?
Having a sense of self-worth means that you value yourself, and having a sense of self-value means that you are worthy. The differences between the two are minimal enough that both terms can be used to describe the same general concept.
Self-worth is the internal sense of being good enough and worthy of love and belonging from others. Self-worth is often confused with self-esteem, which relies on external factors such as successes and achievements to define worth and can often be inconsistent leading to someone struggling with feeling worthy.
I work with singers to improve their self worth so that their accomplishments as singers and their performances are not a measure of their value.?
5. Study and Train to Get Control Over Your Instrument
You want your technique to be on the back burner of your brain so the front of your brain is free to focus on your performance. You don’t want to have to exert any mental energy on the technical side, but rather be freed up to focus on delivering a great performance.
To sing with confidence, consistency and conviction—to give those standing ovation performances requires you to step up your skill and vocal savvy and train your voice with methods that can go the distance like my Cole Vocal Method.
The Cole Vocal Method is holistic addressing the whole singer— body, mind and spirit. Each is a layer is a window into healing and gaining control over our technique, mindset, confidence and performance.?
Here are a few of the ways you can get control:?
Or grab my Ebook The Ultimate Performer Tools + Techniques Guidebook. Use the COUPON CODE: UPG10off.?Learn more here.
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The?Ultimate Performer Tools & Techniques Guidebook?26 page digital ebook for performing singers. Get instant access to a Celebrity Vocal Coach’s behind-the-scenes trade secrets, tools, and techniques of performing used by Grammy winners, American Idol finalists and legendary rockstars. In these pages, you will find the very latest and innovative approaches to transform, elevate and empower you as a singer, performer and improve your craft and career exponentially.