To: "VOCALIST" <vocalist>
Subject: Re: nerves
Date sent: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 20:39:15 -0800
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

If I may add my 2 cents on nervousness/stage fright...

When I am confronted with stage fright, I find it most useful to go Back to Basics. For example: Why am I a singer? Do I sing to impress people, or do I sing because I have a passion for the music? Once I remind myself of the foundations of my singing and the joy I get from it, that takes a *lot*
of the pressure off.

Another favorite method is a great one I learned from a marvelous book, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" (which I highly recommend to ANY performer) -- imagine the worst possible outcome, and just decide, really DECIDE, "Whatever happens, I'll handle it." Remember, no matter what happens, the sun
will still rise tomorrow, your family and friends will still love you, and life will go on not-so-very-differently from before. Often we get so worked up over fear of failure, we fail to see beyond it. When we force ourselves to face the *absolute worst* that can happen, we put our fears in
perspective. I've learned to actually enjoy imagining outrageous "worst possible" scenarios, e.g. "Oh my gosh, what if a spaceship lands during my aria and the aliens threaten to destroy earth if I don't hit that high note EXACTLY right??????" Kinda tough to be intimidated by an audience after
dealing with that image...


Hope this helps!
Rachel
Born-again soprano after several years in mezzo-land