Zoom Past Your Fear

by Cari Cole

Nerves, fear, the jitters – whatever we call them, they can keep us from getting up on that stage. I know, I’ve been there. But you can overcome. Here are some step-by-step solutions and mindsets to trash the inner critic, pump up your self-esteem, and push past your fear once and for all.

5 Ways to Lift that Sinking Feeling and Zoom Past Your Fear

1. DAILY PRACTICE

I know I say this all the time, but it’s because every performer needs to hear it all the time. Alicia Keys and John Mayer (add to that any of your favorite stars) did not become who they are being couch potatoes. Nothing will make you more confident than practicing every day (give yourself one day off). This is the way to build your strength and control – which not only gives you more confidence, but makes it so much easier to perform because you won’t be focused on hitting notes or making it through the song.

Here’s an ideal practice schedule:
You’ll want to segment your practice into: Vocal Technique 30-60 min, Rehearsal (singing songs 30-60 min, Instrument Practice 30 – 60 min, and Songwriting Practice 30min a day + 2-3 longer sessions per week for 90 min.

2. OVER-REHEARSE

My 16-year-old reader also said that she had an inkling that her nervousness was due to her lack of preparation and I’ll tell you, she’s absolutely dead on target. Lack of adequate preparation is the #1 anxiety provoking, heart racing, palm sweating, and massive fear inducer for all artists. Oddly enough, I find the performers who are the most nervous are the ones who are the least prepared. Read on about how to fix that here.

The key to getting comfortable is getting your performance to the level that it is automatic and does not get bogged down by trying to remember chords or lyrics. The simplest, most effective way to do that is by over-rehearsing. For instance, rehearsing every single day for 1 month before your performance will literally transform your confidence. Try it and you’ll see for yourself. I often find that people are afraid to over-rehearse – as if it takes some of the magic from your performance, but the opposite is true. The more you rehearse, the more comfortable you get and the more confident your performance will be. The more comfortable you are, the more you can focus on performance and not on worry about your voice or lyrics. Your goal is to create a comfort zone for yourself on stage and that is achieved by your material firing on auto-pilot.

3. THE NUMBER ONE TRICK TO BEATING YOUR FEAR TO A PULP

The Number One Trick to Beating your Fear to a Pulp is to Make Your Audience Your Best Friend…

Imagine your audience is a group of really good friends – or even your best friend/s. No matter how many people are in the audience, pretend they like you – a lot. One of the best tricks I learned long ago is if you want to feel confident you can — by pretending to feel confident! Ever heard that old adage, “never let ‘em see you sweat?” You do that by acting as if you are confident! Acting as if, is a proven method used by athletes to improve performance – works like a charm every time.

Insider tip: People in the audience, even if they are strangers, want you to do well so they can enjoy the show too!

Insider Tip: Don’t hold back – sing with inner and outer conviction. Performance is not the time to hold back, doubt, or second-guess yourself. Give it everything you’ve got. New-to-the-stage performers need to power their performance with energy. Not doing so comes across as amateur.

4. PERFORM OFTEN

Perform at least once a month. The only way to get comfortable on stage is to be on stage as often as you can. What most performers don’t realize is that unless you’ve gone on tour for at least 2-3 months, you can’t possibly get comfortable on stage! Until then, you simply have not had enough experience to be comfortable. However, performing at least once a month will help you to build a more comfortable zone on stage, but you’re going to have to focus your efforts on getting more comfortable. Another way to do it is to schedule regular rehearsals in a rehearsal room with a live stage and use them as pseudo performances.

Insider Tip: One performance is worth ten rehearsals.

Insider Tip: Performers that accompany themselves sometimes let their playing distract them from performing well because they are struggling with chord changes. You might want to consider someone else accompanying you until you are totally comfortable playing and singing – or practice your playing every day until it’s smooth.

5. BE A TRENDSETTER NOT A FOLLOWER!

As a performer you want to make trends not follow them. Think about it this way: you create music, right? And your music is a reflection of you, right? So is your fashion! And in music – image is a HUGE part of it. The artists we love have a “look,” whether it is downtown grunge or fashion forward. You can do it too – it just takes a little concerted effort and delegating the time and energy to it. You want your image to feel real on both sides of the stage – so you want your audience to dig it as well as you!

Some things to consider:

1. If you are wearing your regular day clothes, your performance might not feel special enough.
2. If you are wearing clothes that are not comfortable, your body language will reflect that. Clothes have to be trendsetting but not uncomfortable.
3. If you look like everyone else, you may not stand out.
4. If you throw your clothes together at the last minute, how successful will you really be?
5. Get feedback — have a fashion conscious friend dress you up or help you shop!

One thing I do with performers (besides refer them to stylists, see Insider Tip here) is to search small boutiques and young designer shops for unusual pieces that make a statement. You don’t want to look like you bought clothes off the rack from a department store; you want to establish yourself as an individual who is a trendsetter – not a fashion follower. Every performer cultivates a particular image or style – add this to your to-do list: Tear out pages of magazines of stuff you like and make an image vision board of what you want to look like. Then once a week go out of your way to drop by a boutique or shop online for pieces that are similar.

Insider Tip: There are lots of young wanna-be fashion designers who would love to work with a singer like you! Seek them out at fashion institutes, schools, and programs – or get referrals from local boutiques and friends who are into fashion.

Read more about overcoming stage fright here.