Vocal Tips from Opera Singer, Lori Fredrics!

Lori Fredrics

has some great tips for reducing interfering stage fright!

1. Accept your “nerves”, use them to your advantage.

Feeling butterflies? This is natural, you are about to perform. Adrenaline is coursing through your veins. You don't feel normal. The adrenaline is good. It means you care. An inexperienced actress once confided to legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt that she never suffered stage fright before going on stage. Bernhardt responded: “Don't worry, it comes with talent”.

Skilled performers use their feelings of nervousness to give their performance that added sparkle and believe it or not, accuracy. When a performer is too relaxed, too exhausted, or simply doesn't care enough to produce adrenaline a lack luster performance full of mistakes is likely to occur.

2.  Be prepared! 

Know your words and music accurately and thoroughly. It is no fun for a performer to go on stage and have to think, ”what is my next line, what is my next note?” It feels like an exam! It is not interesting to an audience to see someone on stage looking towards the ceiling totally preoccupied with remembering what is coming next. Work sufficiently on your performance to develop the best interpretation for which you are at this time capable, and you will have something share with an audience. If you have prepared to the best of your ability go ahead and perform whether you are a beginner or someone with a fully polished talent.

3. Be yourself, have something to say. 

There already is a Rene Fleming, there already is a David Bowie and there already is a Joss Stone. If your aim is to be somebody else, you will become frustrated and nervous and fail because it is impossible. (Ignore this advice if  your aim is to market yourself as a tribute act!)

4. Most importantly, it is not about you, it is about the music and sharing it with the audience. 

It is not about the quality of your voice but how you use your voice to express your interpretation of the music. Charisma or having a magnetic personality is a function of how you make others feel. Focus on the audience and they will love you! The one thing a performer cannot afford to be is self-conscious! It is your job to put 100% of your mental focus on what you are expressing. If 100% of your mind is actually focused on expressing the song there is no part of you left to worry about what people think of you

There is a wonderful book that shows performers exactly how to accomplish this. It is called The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green.  Barry Green, a professional bassist, was inspired by the method of mental exercises developed by Tennis professional Timothy Gallwey. Tim Gallwey wrote the book “The inner game of Tennis” to share what he learned as a result of his observing the best tennis coaches. Barry Green applied and adapted Gallwey's methods for the performance of music.

I have found that students who have read the book and practice the exercises along with particular individualized exercises assigned during lessons find that their performance anxiety significantly reduced.

It is important to identify the misconceptions and faulty patterns of thinking that feed into performance anxiety. When these ideas are explored and aspiring performers realize that there is an alternative, more productive way of thinking, it is easy to break the cycle of paralyzing anxiety.

Some of my student performers have chosen use beta-blocker medications prescribed by physicians. in conjunction with psychological therapy along with specific coaching to reduce performance anxiety with excellent results.

Beta Blockers reduce the body's physical experience of “fight or flight” response. They are useful when the fight or flight response is so strong that performance is simply not possible. The down side is that beta blockers are also said to reduce the emotional level of performance thus creating a reliable professional performance but perhaps reducing the possibility of a thrilling, spectacular performance.

Beta-blockers will, however, not reduce the negative self-defeating thoughts that “The inner game” method ELIMINATES.

I therefore unreservedly recommend

"The Inner Game of Music," by Barry Green with W. Timothy Gallwey, 

(Doubleday, New York, 1986).

Please note that I have never met nor corresponded with Barry Green and I have no connection with Doubleday books.  I have simply found his book to be helpful to my students.

Other excellent books on the subject of performance anxiety:

The Audition Process: Anxiety Management and Coping Strategies,

by Stuart Edward Dunkley (Juilliard Performance Guides No. 3)

A Soprano on Her Head: Right-side-up Reflections on Life and Other Performances,
by Eloise Ristad

Making Music for the Joy of It: Enhancing Creativity, Skills and Musical Confidence,
by Stephanie Judy

Anxiety and Musical Performance: 
On Playing the Piano From Memory,
by Dale Reubart (Da Capo Press)

Happy Singing to All

Pepper Guy Says:  "Thanks for the great tips Lori"