Someone Help Calm My Nerves ... ???

Question

I signed up for my school's talent show and I'm soooo nervous ... It's in April and already I'm freaking out about what to wear and how to do my hair ... etc etc. But most of all I'm worried about singing ... the most people I've ever sang in front of was when I tried out for the drama club at my school last year, and I choked in the middle of the song (but I still got a small part in the play). Can someone give me some tips that will calm me down a little ?

PS. I'm a good singer (at least ... my friends say I am), I just need help with my confidence and actually getting up in front of 200 people or more ...

Answer 1

Here's a tip from another singer!

When it's time to sing, control your breathing. The tendancy when we get nervous is to raise our shoulders, which restricts our ability to breathe properly... Just focus on keeping your shoulders down, using good posture, and singing the song the best you can. Practice the song until you can sing it in your sleep... until you know all the words, whether you start at the beginning or in the middle or wherever...

While you're performing, remember... you're performing.. so even if you're nervous, perform your heart out.. make eye contact with complete strangers (stay away from friends/family with the eye contact thing... ) and smile like there's no tomorrow.. feed of the energy of the audience. Focus on the telling of the story in the song... not on how nervous you are or what they think, or how you look... Tell the story clearly, with eye contact, and emotion... You'll be great!

One last thing... As a singer, the most painful thing to see is someone who focused more on what they would wear than they did actually perfecting their performance!!

Answer 2

I would say 50 % of the nerves before to perform belongs to doubts about the songs, the words, how many bars you have to wait, if your voice is warmed up enough. The other 50% is just adrenaline runing fast in your body, that is good. That means you are ready to go! Advice: Study a lot, repeat the words and rythms together, that will help you a lot. Think in that music all the time, practice in your mind constantely. The day of the competition: Warm up your voice enough, drink water, cool, not cold, do not eat to much before the performance, and do not eat food you know can make you feel bad. I would recommend a Good Break fast eat lunch too, eat fruits as a snacks and take a light dinner. I mean: do not eat a 16 oz steak potatoes, milk shake and desert.... Got my what I mean? You need to eat well, not to eat lots of food. Drink water during the day to keep your vocal chords hydrated. Go to a room alone or with your voice teacher to warm up your voice, if you need to practice some part of the song, do it in marking sound, save your voice for the performance. Back Stage, do not talk with people, get concentrate on you performance, words, beats, notes etc, streach your body, take deep breaths and relax your body. Keep drinking water. Do some soft hummings and lip trills. At the time you are on the stage, no matter how nervous you feel. YOU NEVER SHOW THAT TO THE AUDIENCE. YOU ARE THE ONLY DIVA ON THE STAGE!!!!!!!! It's that clear? When the Music start, if you feel your mouth dry, you can bite just a bit your toung to create spit. Do not do it too hard! Do not look to the people, look forward, to the far wall and the very end of the place and think your voice is going there too! Do not try to sing Louder than any one else there. Use your natural Voice, do not force it, do not take the risk to force it and make it crack. Hope this help.

Answer 3

you are a good singer, so whats there to worry about?

If you're really freaking out, ask a good friend to play the 'worst possible scinareo' game with you, the day of the show.
How to play: You saw what the worst possible thing that could happen would be, (i.e.- you stop singing), then you keep going from there, (i.e.-the crowd laughs at you, and you are made fun of the next day at school), then keep going, (i.e.-no one in your school does something stupid for the next week, so they keep teasing you, then someone makes up a horrible nickname. Then it sticks, and everyone starts calling you it, then everyone remembers it forever. Then you come back at your high school reunion and everyone still remembers it, then your spouse asks why they call you that. He deciedes your a huge dork, and dumps you. Then he calls and tells your boss, who also thinks your a dork and fires you. Then you can't find a job, and live on the streets... you get the point) The point of the game it to make you realise how stupid your fear is, so you don't stop playing till you both are having a laughing fit.



P.S.-don't try the picture people in their underware, it'll make you laugh, or gag. (Depending on your sense of humor.)

Answer 4

First and foremost, get some practice in front of live audiences as much as possible...even if it's just the fam. Second, get some serious exercise prior to the event...it has been proven that exercise will help the nervousness. (I know this works...I've done it). But most importantly, the day of the event (and anytime your feeling anxious), do deep breathing exercises. Take deep breaths and hold them for several seconds and then let them out slowly. Do it over and over and over until you calm down. You may need to do it the entire day of the event if your nervousness is anything like mine. You can do this without anyone knowing...just breath through your nose. Make sure you give it all you got when you begin...if you start off well...your nervousness will subside after a couple of minutes. I promise!

Answer 5

Heres what you do. Singing is alot like acting especially when you are performing because all you are really doing is singing a story. So be the story teller. I know this sounds odd. But really, take the song and line it up with something thats happened in your life and sing it like you would tell a story. It gets you more focused on what you are singing and why than the mass of people in front of you. Also, drink some tea(if you like tea) and take some deep breaths(even though Im pretty sure thats a given).

Answer 6

I can understand your pain. Its cool when people are laughing at me on stage because im being crazy but when it comes to serious work I get shaky and I cant even speak. What you need to tell yourself is that you are talented and you got the part because the person that hired you aw something great in you. Just tell yourself that and help yourself realize that there is nothing to be afraid about. If you get desperate go to Wal-mart or Walgreens and get some B-12 Vitamin get the sublingual its the pill that dissolves under your tongue. What the vitamin does it helps coat the nerves to help you be more relaxed and more focused its nothing bad like a diet pill or anything it just a vitamin. try it out and good luck

Answer 7

Just be yourself and sing like you know you can. You have nothing to prove to the audience. Practice. KNOW that you can sing the part perfectly and just go out and do it.

Breathe and try to relax. Picture yourself somewhere you love to be.

I also really like the LOST one mentioned above, btw.

You can picture the audience in their underwear if that helps you personally, but it makes me start laughing so I can't use it. :) Also, if you can't stand looking into a large crowd, look somewhere else like an exit sign at the back. Then it looks like you are looking at the audience so you look confident without freaking yourself out. It's my favorite alter-server trick, but it works just about anywhere. Sing passionately to the exit sign...

Sing in front of people and work your way up.

Answer 8

Okay. Just remember that the worst that could happen is that you could lose, and that your friends will still be your friends if you do. And practise singing in front of your family, your friends, and make sure you know the lyrics to the song completely before the week of the show, it really helps to be prepared.

Answer 9

Here's the deal: if you can't take a breath or a deep breath without shaking, you know that you're nervous. I can tell you that if you really know what you're doing as far as singing and performing, you have nothing to worry about. Also, don't think about the performance itself but after it is all said and done. Keep this in mind: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Answer 10

I'm a musician, albeit not a singer, so I deal with this a lot. A physician who is a friend of mine once advised me to eat a banana, as they contain small amounts of beta blockers. The primary use of beta blockers is as a statin, but they also have another use: they help control the brain chemicals that make you nervous. If you get REALLY nervious, you can go to a doctor and ask them to prescribe beta blockers.
Hope this helps!