Stage Fright. It can be a very big deal for any aspiring performer! Someone could have amazing talent and skill, but be held back by the fear of being on stage in front of people. Working through stage fright is especially important for singers. The voice is the one instrument that is entirely part of your body- so it can be intimidating to share it in front of people! I can now sing comfortably in front of a mid-sized crowd. But I wasn’t always like that!

I will ALWAYS remember the very first time I sang a solo in front of a group of people.  It was so terrifying. I was about 12 years old and the event was a simple “master class”. This was a casual event where students were invited to sing to each other. We could invite one parent to come as well. I sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Thankful” and pure terror filled me as I just tried to get through the song. I held all my tears in until I got into the car and burst out crying! My dad assured me that I would get over the stage fright with practice even though I never wanted to sing in front of people again.

The next master class rolled around and I was resistant. My wonderful voice teacher Leah had a solution for me- I would come to the master class and watch all the other students perform, and once everyone left I would sing for just my teacher and my dad.  She did this for me for several master classes until I was finally prepared to sing on stage at a recital. I slowly got to a point where I was less and less nervous each time. Before I knew it, I could actually have fun on stage, and I am so glad I didn’t give up despite the big set back.

Here are my top three tips for dealing with stage fright:

1. Start small and work your way up. If you have to, start by singing in front of one person, then two, then three, and so on. All of that performance will give you practice as you work your way up. Before you know it, a room full of people won’t seem so bad.
2. Realize you aren’t alone. Master classes were great for me because although none of the other students were as scared as I was, I came to realize we were all there to improve ourselves and work on our skills. Join a group of performers, join a vocal studio who implements master classes, or otherwise surround yourself with those who have similar goals.
3. Don’t give up! It’s easy to quit something because it doesn’t bring immediate gratification.  It will take time to become comfortable in front of a crowd and it’s likely you may even have lots of fun doing it someday.

This low-quality photo is from the time I sang in front of a 300+ person crowd. This particular crowd was full of other songwriters and musicians. It was intimidating, but I had a lot of fun! I certainly have come a long way since that first terrifying master class.

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