I love to sing but I am shy, so should I do it?

Question

I love to sing and anyone that has heard me sing says that I am really good but I'm not sure if I am as good as they say I am. At the end of the year my school is having this talent show and I am wanting to sing in it to show some people that I am not that shy and show them my singing abilities. But what if I mess up or make a fool out of myself? Should I be in the talent show?

Answer 1

Absolutely!

Start by joining glee club or your church choir. That way you'll be among friends - and part of a group - instead of being out there by yourself.

As you gradually build up confidence, you'll find it easier to get out in front.

As for your talent show? Well, that's up to you. Here's a good tip:

1. pick something simple to sing - something you know and is appropriate for your grandmother to hear (yes, this means no Beyonce or whoever is the current wannabe) Good hymns from church, folk songs, musical numbers (e.g. "The Boy Next Door" from Meet me in St. Louis) are a lot safer.

2. practice your number until you can perform it in your sleep.

3. Practice smiling - yep. smile smile smile (gives you someting to hide behind)

4. If you flub up - well, so what. The Monty Python cast won't come out and poke you with pillows. A great hairy monster won't come in and carry you away. SOOOO, if you flub, just keep on going. DO NOT STOP. Gather your breath and jump right in as if you meant to do it. Yep. Keep on going.

5. When you're done, even if you flubbed, smile sweetly, bow gently, direct your hand to your accompanist (or sound operator), smile and say thank you. bow again and leave the stage with dignity.

6. There will always be someone who comes up afterwards and gushes over you - it could be your grandmother, etc. The ONLY THING YOU CAN SAY TO A COMPLIMENT IS: "THANK YOU SO MUCH." I cannot emphasize this too much. Thank you is the only thing you can say. No "I was so afraid... or I hated it or whatever." Just smile and say Thank you so much! You really made my day."


BTW There will always be a time when you need to be before an audience - pitching a proposal at work, defending your dissertation, saying your wedding vows, etc. Some performing arts experience will help you through this - even if you're not a "professional."

Good luck!

Answer 2

YES!!!!! I was exactly how you were and now I LOVE singing and acting. You're friends supporting you is a great start. Some people are incredibly shy but are marvelous on stage. It happens all the time. So choose a song for your range that shows your ability, and you'll be noticed in no time. If you practice enough, you won't mess up. And even if you do, the key is to just move on, because then no one will notice. You should definitley start with this show. Break a leg!

Answer 3

Sweetie - I *still* feel like I'm going to hurl every time I get ready to sing in public. However I would know that I had lost my edge if I weren't so nervous.

It is difficult the first few times you do it, but after a time you get this utter calm about you and the "performer" seems to take over. It is a wonderful rush that is unlike anything else in the world!

If you love to sing and don't do this you might end up regretting it for the rest of your life, wondering always what would have happened. I know I regret some of the choices I made early in my music "career". I had a HUGE opportunity at age 7 that I was too young to understand and now that I do I wish I could have a do-over!

Get up there, sing and have a blast - if only for yourself!

Answer 4

I think you should be in your talent show. One way to get out of being shy is to do something totally daring, but something you're willing to do, like this talent show.
If you really feel that your a good singer (which from what I read, I believe you do) then you must be brave enough to show off your talent. You need to gain more self confidence, and this is the perfect time.
So you make a mistake? You might panic right there on the spot. What you need to do is keep going, and laugh about it later. But with enough practice and preparation, you probably will lower your chances of making a mistake.

I advise you to participate in your talent show. Without you there, it's just a "show". You gotta put the talent in it!

Answer 5

I would definately say for you to give it a shot. If you end up being terrible, then atleast you proved you can come out of your comfort zone. Also, if you love to sing, but just dont have a ton of experience, maybe look into getting a voice coach to help you prepare before the big contest. Odds are, you'll feel more secure and optimistic about singing in front of a crowd if you're more prepared. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 6

I was the same way. I decided one summer I was going to sing at my camp talent show. I was really nervous and thought that I was going to make a fool out of myself. I did sing in front of the whole camp and afterwards everyone was really impressed. I have become confident now beause I went on stage that one time and was confident.

Answer 7

You have a little stage fright. I was taught in speech class to think of the audience as inanimtate objects. In other words convince yourself that they are not real and that they don't have an opinion of what you you are doing. Don't look at their eyes. Look at the tops of their heads instead. Nervousness comes from eye contact and you immediately start asking yourself "What are they thinking about me!!! Look at the different hair styles and the guys loosing they're hair. Look at the dye jobs that the women messed up and the ones that need another dye job cause they have dark roots showing through. Look at the weird hats and say to yourself what was she thinking!!! lol This is a way of turning it around. You are actually critiqueing them instead of them critiqueing you. Pretty soon you will have a big grin on your face and be the carefree person you need to be on stage.
Looking at a blank wall or object at the back of the room also works if you don't need to appear as if you are getting eye contact.
When I went on the Judge Judy show they told me in the Green Room to look at the flag if I got nervous and the flag is the direction that they wanted me looking for the best camera shots. I had an audience of millions of people inside that little camera. lol.

Answer 8

Most singers I have known feel exactly the way you do but they ended up getting up there and singing. Speaking from experience, once you get up there and start singing, you'll forget about being shy. Try singing to yourself at home and keep telling yourself that you can do this. Good luck.

Answer 9

You should do the talent show. So what if you fail. Just be confident in your abilities. I think the rest will take care of itself

Answer 10

I know how you feel. I, too, am very shy when it comes to singing, especially in front of my classmates. One thing that helped me was to go out into the woods where no one could here me and sing as loud as I could. When it came time for me to sing in front of my old school, I simply imagined that I was in the woods.