5 Ways to Deal with Nerves Before Singing

You have an important performance coming up - a concert, jury, audition, or recital. You are prepared: the music is memorized, you've practiced good singing habits, you've worked with your teacher to get rid of all the kinks.  Everything should go perfectly, except for those nerves that have hit you the morning of. 

Nerves. Are. The. Worst. Luckily, there are ways to combat them so that you can perform your best. Here are 5 ways to deal with nerves before singing. 

1. Sing in front of small groups before the main event. 

Each time you sing in front of a group of people, you get a little bit better.  You get used to those pesky nerves and you're able to be more calm with each successive performance.  Before an audition or performance, find small groups of people to sing in front of.  Gather your family and friends into your home for a mini-recital.  Call the local nursing homes or senior living centers and go and sing for them.  I promise they will love it and they'll boost your confidence 100%!

2.  Avoid caffeine.

Nerves speed up your heart rate. Caffeine speeds up your heart rate.  When combating nerves, we want our heart rate at a nice moderate pace.  Caffeine will only worsen the problem.  It's like fighting fire with fire.  Give your body a break and skip the caffeine on days of important performances and auditions.

3. Take deeps breaths.

Nerves are a natural physical reaction to stress and anxiety.  Your heart begins to race and you begin taking shallow breaths.  You can fight both by forcing yourself to take slow, low, deep breaths.  For 10 seconds breathe in through your nose. Then breathe out for 10 seconds through pursed lips as if blowing through a coffee straw. Make sure that you're taking a low singer's breath as you do so.  This will not only help your nerves but also remind your body of proper breathing technique before you sing.

Tip: Your tummy should go out when breathing in, and in when you're breathing out. 

4. Inhale positivity, exhale negativity.

I recently had to use this trick (combined with #3) to be able to sing at a funeral.  Interestingly, I was wearing my Fitbit at the time and I was able to calm my heart from about 105 bpm to 80bpm!  This one may sound awkward at first, but I'm telling you it works.

As you take your low 10 seconds breaths in think the words, "In with positivity."  As you breathe out think the words, "Out with negativity."

You can replace "positivity" and "negativity" with any other positive/negative opposites words: sunshine/darkness
confidence/self-doubt
happiness/sadness
calm/anxiety
your favorite color/your least favorite color
love/hate
surety/unsurety
faith/fear

The power of positive thinking goes a long way when we're dealing with a physiological reaction (nerves) from our body. 

5. Get your body moving. 

Go for a short run. Do jumping jacks. Walk quickly up and down a flight of stairs. Find a private place and release those pent-up nerves! Nerves give you energy. If you try to hold all of that in, then it's going to present itself in wobbly knees, shaking hands, and a quaking voice. If you allow your body to get that energy out, your performance will benefit from the nerves!  Nerves can be a good thing. *gasp* When you release that energy by getting your body moving, you'll then release endorphins which will help make you feel happier and calmer.  

You are going to do great! Now get out there a break a leg!