stage fright?

Question

if you have a really good voice and you know it and you want to preform but you freeze in front of a crowd and then cant sing waht would you do?

Answer 1

Start small. Sing in front of friends & family (sometimes this is more scary actually! But people that love you will be patient & kind & help you through it) then practice at karaoke, other places. There's no magic way to conquer stagefright. I still feel it every time but it doesn't stop me from getting up there & with practice it does get easier each time. Your confidence increases & your voice gets stronger. Always a little shaky the first time. You have to force yourself. Remember courage isn't the absence of fear. It's feeling the fear & doing it anyway!

Good luck!
Break a leg!

Answer 2

I know this sounds totally crazy, BUT... to help get over your fear in front of crowds, you have to realize you're really afraid of yourself (cracking a high-note, forgeting your lyrics, tripping and falling on your face, etc...) not the people in the crowd. You are your toughest critic. To help this "stage fright", while you practice singing, stand in front of the mirror and watch yourself. Look yourself in the eye. Watch yourself and sing as though you're doing it for fifty thousand people. It's very awkward. Can't do it on the first try? Take a piece of paper and make a red "X" or bulseye on it. Match it up to eye level and put it just to the right of where your gaze is. Look at this first and slowly start averting your gaze to yourself. Take the paper away after a couple practice sessions. Not only is this the best way to become more comfortable in yourself and your performing, but it's also a good way to watch the way you breathe (your shoulders should not move up and down when taking a breath), watch your posture (make sure your neck and spine are aligned and you don't tilt your head from side to side out of "emotion" of the song) among other things. This is what my Vocal Instructor tought me years and years ago and what I even used with my students because it was so effective. Good luck!

P.S. > being comfortable with a performance also depends on the piece of music you choose. Make sure there are no difficult notes for you to hit and you know the lyrics like the back of your hand. Preparation is key: if you are comfortable with yourself, you're comfortable with anyone else.

Answer 3

I used have the same problem and it is simply all about confidence. Have faith in yourself. If you know you have a good voice what are you waiting for!!
the first time i sang in front of my music class (age 12 {4 years ago}) I was terrified and when I'd finished my friends were full of praise and were quite shocked that i could sing! From then I've gained confidence. I joined a Saturday Stage School which was very intimidating because they are all very very good but they have respect when people sing and don't tease each other.
I got given quite a main part in the show and i enjoyed rehearsing in front of everyone and wasn't in the least embarrassed or nervous in front of them. When the time for the performance arrived it was the waiting OFFSTAGE that i couldn't stand I didn't mind being on stage.
I also got the main part in my school play which was a bit harder because it was rehearsed and showed to my friends- the most difficult audience ;) but eventually i stopped being conscious about it and it is more easy to perform now than it has ever been.
preparation-wise OVER prepare because then you KNOW nothing could possibly go wrong

Answer 4

Stage fright is caused from a lack of confidence, and the fear of messing up. If you are afraid, then your mind and body are telling you that you are really not confident enough to do this performance.

One of my teachers told me that you never begin to learn a piece until you perform it for the first time. That's when all of your practicing will be put to the test. I never understood that until I had my first real solo performance. Its a feeling that you simply cannot recreate in the practice room, no matter how well you may remember it, you can't get your heart going or your mouth to feel dry if you are not on the stage in front of all those people.

I think the best way to overcome stage fright is to really be preparing for the performance when you are practicing. If you mess up in the practice room, find out why you messed up, and the next time you come to that section, be prepared to avoid making that same mistake - don't just casually fix it and keep going just to put in your time. If you look ahead in the music, and you know where your trouble spots are and how to avoid them, you will have no need for stage fright. You will be ready, and that will give you the confidence you need to go out there and do a great job.

If you mess up, no one will die, just don't make the same mistakes twice.

Answer 5

Okay, I know what you mean. I get stage fright. I sang in vocal competitions throughout school. Performed at weddings, and some local events. I love to do karaoke. I just take a deep breath, and remember I love to sing. So if i mess up so what, I'm human. I sing for the enjoyment of it, not to impress anyone else. If you remember that you will get over the stage fright to a point where you can handle it.

Answer 6

i've got been in exactly one play, countless years in the past, and sure I have been given degree fright - it wasn't even a speaking place! i became thoroughly high-quality with it each and each of ways by rehearsals up till beginning off night, then bam. I have been given over it after some days yet once I easily think of if i could had lines i could have long gone completely sparkling. extremely did not assume being so worried approximately it! i've got been casually asked if i want to take part in something later this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days yet as a results of fact it may contain a speaking place i will would desire to provide it some severe concept! i'm advised it somewhat is basically a rely of prepare.

Answer 7

Girl, I know what you go through. when I want to sing infront of a crowd as a solo (since I am usualy ina choir and then I can hide if my voice cracks or squeeks) what I usualy do is pretend I am in my practice room. and if you close your eyes once and a while (not the whole song) and invision the room and the smells and the feeling of the floor beneath your feet, then it realy helps. And if you find it easy to pick one unkowning person out in the crowd that seems like they are a person that is really intrested you can sing to them or look up above their heads. if your in a lighted area with the house dark...you can't see anyone and just pretend taht you just happened to walk onstage and start singing. and before you go onstage, picutre yourself succeding. picture yourself calmly walking up and singing...and pray. that I what I do like 15-20 minuites beofre I sing...pray continuosly. also the more you practice the less your nerves will be. and well if you are a bit tacticle and can't keep your hadn still...take a small stuff animal and pet or twist it. I know it might not be happy but trust me sometimes that really helps get some of the tension out of your body, as well as getting a small back massage from a friend.
I wish oyu the best of luck and since these methods have helped me quite a bit, I hope that they will help you too. God bless you and aid you in your overcomming of the fear of being onstage.
*high five* You go Girl!

Answer 8

I majored in music and have the worst case of stage fright. Although I've never tried it, I believe that there was a study done on a drug - sorry I don't recall the name - ask your doctor- but it was tested on classical guitarists in an ensemble to see if it would work and found out that although the performers still had stage fright - the drug would numb the bodily responses - the "fight or flight" response syndrome I guess you can call it - to fear. So long story short - you would still mentally feel the stage fright but wouldn't choke up. But just consult your doctor.

Answer 9

Practice, Practice, PRACTICE! The best kind of performance practice is -- performing itself! If you suffer from stage fright (and a lot of performers do), this is one of the best cures. On the subject of stage fright, I'll also give you a few tips. First of all, stage fright is rooted in being immobil. Check it out the next time you feel stage fright. Become aware of your body, and you'll notice you are standing rigidly, with clenched muscles. The opposite of this is loose and relaxed MOTION. So the solution here is to get into a groove. Move! Music is rhythm, and rhythm is motion. If your body is fluid and relaxed, your stage fright will all but disappear!

Answer 10

Have confidence!
You sing. You do it well. Apparently you enjoy it. So keep telling yourself such things in front of a crowd and you won't freeze up ^_^
That's called "positive self talk" and it doesn't cost you a thing!

Another way that I would go about getting over freezing in front of crowds, is to concentrate on something OTHER than the crowd itself. For example, I had to sing in front of my church once, and I stared at a single spot on the wall in the back of the room, to avoid looking at my audience, at least for the whole time, but a little eye contact is good ^_^.

And thirdly, a way to get used to singing in front of a crowd is to do just that--sing in front of a crowd. BUT! Sing where you won't be heard. I know it doesn't make any sense, but it works. I used to be terrified to sing in front of crowds, in the section of my choir I was in, I had a solo once, and I froze up. I couldn't sing! It was horrible! The next day my teacher put me between two well voiced altos, and I got used to singing in front of a crowd without anyone hearing me, but doing well. :) When my turn came for a solo, I was so used to it that I didn't freeze up!

I hope that helps, good luck! ^^