Today we’re talking about how to build confidence. I have sung and performed at many recitals, concerts, and worship services… and I feel like I have a considerable amount of experience when it comes to being nervous. The most memorable time recently was for a relatively large solo I had in a performance of Bach’s St. John Passion. I did all the things I’m about to share with you, but I was nervous nonetheless. Thankfully the things I’m about to share with you did help me pull through, however.
I want to share with you what I do to not only deal with being nervous, but to build confidence.
Be secure in your craft
Practice
Nothing grows confidence more than practicing the songs you’re going to perform and knowing them inside and out. I usually get myself next to the piano and really work out all the details of the piece. Then, I figure out all the technical challenges and practice them until they are effortless. I memorize the words and the structure of the song. This will take several days of diligent practice depending on how efficiently you practicing.
I challenge you to not practice until you get something right once, but to practice it until you never get it wrong.
Take voice lessons
Taking lessons is a great way to improve your confidence as you become more secure in your craft as a whole. I would recommend taking weekly lessons or at least starting out with an online vocal course and then going from there. We put together a course on vocal technique called Vocal Groundwork which goes through all of the fundamental vocal techniques you will need to master in order to sing well. Head over here to check it out! But, there are also other great options out there for vocal courses. You can also find another blog post we put together on improving your voice for worship which would be a great place to start.
Have a voice teacher
Having a teacher or coach who knows your voice well and can speak into your voice will not only help you improve your voice, but it will also grow your confidence. Knowing that your teacher is confident in you will give you the confidence boost you need when you star to doubt yourself.
Practice ≠ Performing
It’s important to know that as much as you practice, it is not the same as performing. Something changes the moment you stand in front of people and perform. Your mindset is different and the whole experience is different.
It is important to practice performing. In other words, you need to simulate what it will be like to perform as many times as possible to get comfortable with it.
Call your family and friends into the room, sit them down, and sing for them. You will notice that you are more nervous than when you are singing by yourself.
Even if no one is around at the moment, you can set your phone down and record yourself performing your whole piece. This will give you a slight feeling of a performance because you see that red record button and know that you will watch yourself later—it puts the pressure on.
This can feel awkward if you’re not used to it, but it is extremely useful in practicing performing.
The day of a performance – Set yourself up for success
Prepare your body and voice for singing
The day of a performance it is important to do everything possible to set yourself up for success. If your performance is in the morning, make sure to wake up at least 2 hours before you will be singing. This can be rough for morning church services, but it’s important if you want to be in top vocal shape. Your body needs time to wake up before you sing.
I will do some stretches and get my body all loosened up, because singing involves the whole body. Any tension is not good…
I like to do some vocal warm ups an hour before I’m going to sing. I don’t warm up for very long, because I don’t want to tire my voice. My goal is just to get my voice going and fully warmed up. I will usually sing a little bit about 15-30mins prior again, to make sure my voice is all good to go.
Basically, I try to drink some water and just do anything that will set me up on the right foot the day of a performance. I will make sure not to eat right before performing. And then I’ll drink some tea (or perhaps coffee… because I love coffee… but it can dehydrate your voice which isn’t so good).
Mainly do whatever will make you feel good and ready to sing.
Get to the venue early
If the venue is a new place, I recommend going early to get familiar with the environment. If possible, it is best to go the day before (or several hours early) to sing in the space and get used to everything. This way you will not be surprised or taken off guard when it is time to perform. At the very least, make sure not to be running late to your performance… that is a recipe for disaster and is sure to make you more nervous.
Final minutes before a performance
Physically Prepare
Take a few deep breaths. This will help provide more oxygen to the brain and it will physically calm you down. This will help make you less nervous and more relaxed.
Mentally Prepare
I am often tempted to review the song in my mind beforehand, but I have this to not be helpful. If I’ve practiced thoroughly, which I should have by now… I’ve found that if I try to recite the lyrics in my head again, this will often cause me to start doubting myself. And then when I go up on stage this can backfire on me—causing me to slip up on spots I normally would not. It is better to just trust that you’ve practiced enough and go up and sing.
I find it helpful to remind myself of the bigger picture. I’ve done my part to prepare as much as I can, and now I need to just trust in the Lord and focus on communicating the song to the people in the audience.
I remind myself that it’s not about me at the end of the day. I want to do everything for His glory.
Mistakes do not define me… and really, mistakes don’t even define the performance anyway. It is all about communicating the songs and singing with your heart.
It is helpful for me to remember that my identity is found in Christ, not in what other think of me.
It is also helpful to remember that the people in the audience are rooting for me, not against me.
Spiritually Prepare
Finally, I pray. This is the most important step. I pray that the Lord would be glorified in my performance. I ask for Him to be put on display and for me to point others to Him. I ask that He would strengthen me and work through me.
And if I’m leading worship with a team, we will all gather together to pray before we step up on stage to lead worship. This always helps to refocus my heart and mind on Christ. So many times, I have felt a wave of peace after praying. I sense and know that He is there with me sustaining me.
Well, I hope this helped give you some ideas on what you can do to sing with more confidence the next time you step up on stage. It for sure is a process. I still get nervous for performances now. But, because I’ve had so many years of dealing with being nervous and doing these steps to build confidence, I am not overcome by my nerves any more.
