Got Stage Fright? Performance Anxiety?
I want to talk to you about one of the most frequently asked questions that I get from students at all levels: how do I get rid of stage fright?
“I have major anxiety how am I supposed to be able to sing in front of people…what do I do with that?” Sound familiar?
I can relate. I am a huge sufferer of anxiety and growing up almost my whole life and trust me when I say I know what it’s like to have debilitating stage fright. It got to a point where I was I would visibly shake. It was awful. I remember not wanting to sing. I wanted to give up on singing! Can you imagine that? It was affecting my sound and I no longer loved what I was doing and I thought what what am I supposed to do with that?
I had heard about beta blockers for performance anxiety, but I didn’t want to go that route because for me it was a problem that I needed to face. This brings me to my first point, and it is an unpopular opinion: allow the anxiety to be there. Everybody has anxiety. If they tell you they don’t then, they’re lying. So let’s talk a little bit more about that: it’s OK to have anxiety and it’s OK to be nervous and have stage fright. Think about what singing is. Singing is using your own individual, unique voice. Pretty vulnerable, eh?
I believe I read somewhere that public speaking is one of the most common fears that adults have. It’s not just adults! Children and teenagers feel the same way. some people are so terrified that they refuse to perform altogether.
I want to use myself as the prime example of how you can get over debilitating stage anxiety. In this video I explain tips and trips in managing stage fright and being able to work your way through it in order to pursue your passion for singing!
