Conquering nervousness...singing?

Question:I'm in chorus in high school and i love to sing. almost every year i do this solo & ensemble contest but my nerves never get any better. for a little bit, before i go up to sing i don't feel nervous at all but then once i start then the whole shaky voice and leg shaking starts. in 6th grade and freshman year i got a 3rd. last year i got a 1st. i've always been the type of person that is really insecure and no matter how many people say i sing well, i always doubt it. its kinda hard to know who to believe when your own choir teacher says you're not good enough for a solo and everyone else says you sing well. so please help me with my nerves, the competition is in a week. thanks

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm in chorus in high school and i love to sing. almost every year i do this solo & ensemble contest but my nerves never get any better. for a little bit, before i go up to sing i don't feel nervous at all but then once i start then the whole shaky voice and leg shaking starts. in 6th grade and freshman year i got a 3rd. last year i got a 1st. i've always been the type of person that is really insecure and no matter how many people say i sing well, i always doubt it. its kinda hard to know who to believe when your own choir teacher says you're not good enough for a solo and everyone else says you sing well. so please help me with my nerves, the competition is in a week. thanks

Hi Esther,

Great question!

"TR" has hit it right on, so my answer will only serve to expand on his very slightly.

Nerves are normal. What you described very well, 98% of the all performers also experience. Part of the answer is learn to balance the "adrenaline dump" with oxygen in your body.

You'll recognize the feelings ... at a time very shortly before you are to perform your heart rate increases - anywhere from double to triple the normal speed. (Adrenaline has been dumped into your blood stream.) It's important AT THAT TIME to breathe very deeply and slowly repeatedly. This helps to accomplish two things: a) slow down the heart rate and b) increase the oxygen to your brain. When the two are not in balance nerves tend to "take over" and "shaky voice" and "shaky legs" also known as "tetanic flutter" seem uncontrollable.

Nervousness isn't going to go away - but you can get it under control - so that your nerves (the added adrenaline) actually serve to enhance the performance.

Go ahead and practice ahead of time what you are going to do when you feel the heart-rate rise - so that when the time comes, you'll be doing something familiar and something you're prepared to do. (Sit tall, stand or walk and breath deeply - slowly and fully - several times.)

Then, when it's time to walk on stage, look confident and secure (you'll be amazed how feelings of the same will follow) and you'll also set your audience at ease. Then enjoy expressing the song.

Best wishes to you!

You cannot believe people....either the choir director or "everyone else"... you have to know by yourself, from listening to your own tapes, and from judging if you would like to hear yourself sing if you were part of the audience.... in fact, it does not really matter, what really matters is if you are happy ... singing comes and goes, but you are still here, regardless of competitions, choir directors and "everyone else"......if this matter really makes you unhappy, just dream of something else

i know this doesn't sound like a good idea, but seek out a psychiatrist, and he/she can eather help you cope with the stress of singing or prescribe something that can relax you while you sing... if you feel psychiatrists and pills aren't your thing, take on breathing techniques... or a relaxing hobby like sand combing or banzai tree gardening... if all else fails imagine everyone naked! XD hope you have a good performance!

There is a possibilty your friends don't want to hurt your feelings.Check with your teacher again and tell her/him the conflicting opinions are confusing you.Tell her /him you need to know for your own peace of mind.

Your condition isn't really bad enough to warrant a psychiatrist! And taking mood-altering drugs--even properly prescribed ones--isn't going to help your singing.

What you're describing is a classic example of physical stage fright. You're excited and your body is producing too much adrenaline, and it's making your muscles tremble because they're trying to burn off those extra sugars and energy hormones.

The way to cope with this problem is, before you sing, do a good vocal warm-up, focusing especially on breath control. If your voice is starting to tremble, take very deep breaths and let them out slowly. If your legs are trembling, try stretching them deeply. Also, you can calm down a muscle by tightening and releasing it--don't tighten it all the way to the point of pain, just enough so that some of the energy gets used.

Then you'll have just the right amount of energy for a good performance.