A Singer Prepares

You're ready to get out there and knock your audience's socks off with your voice now that you've taken a course of singing lessons and are about to give your first public performance. But are you ready? It's not just a case of getting up on stage. Before you get up on stage, what sort of last-minute preparation should you do?

If you're like many singers, you probably feel a bit nervous. This is more common than you think and even experienced singers get a bit agitated and excited before they go onstage. So if it's your first time singing in front of an audience, it's only natural that you'll feel a bit on edge. The big thing here is to make sure that you get on top of the nerves and don't let them beat you. It's only too easy to get into a vicious cycle where you are worried that the nerves are going to make you shaky or look silly, so you worry about worrying, which only makes you more nervous and agitated about singing in public and so on. To quote an old cliché, you need to feel the fear and do it anyway. Rename the feelings of shakiness and nerves as "energy" rather than "anxiety" and you'll start seeing these feelings in a positive light.

There are a few things that you can do to make sure that these pre-performance jitters are kept to a minimum. You won't be able to make them go away altogether but you can keep them in check. Caffeine is notorious for making people feel edgier and for stimulating the nerves, so watch your caffeine intake before your performance. While you shouldn't knock off caffeine altogether before your performance, you should probably avoid knocking back vast amounts of cola-flavoured fizzy drinks (you know the ones I mean!), strong coffees and energy drinks. This applies even if your first public singing performance is at night and you're worried that you'll be too tired to perform. The natural levels of adrenaline coursing around yours system will take care of the tiredness, while a touch of makeup under the eyes will make you look fresh and bright-eyed.

Caffeinated drinks also create another problem for singers. Caffeine stimulates the bladder, and it's hard to give your best performance if you're busting to pee. You probably need to watch your fluid intake before hitting the stage to avoid this problem, especially if you expect to be singing a set of numbers, but caffeine will only make this problem worse. While on the topic, make sure that you do get to the small room before you go onstage to take care of the risk of trying to sing with a full bladder.

On the topic of drinking, what about alcohol? Some people won't sing karaoke, no matter how many singing lessons they've taken to improve their technique and boost their confidence, unless they've had a bit of "Dutch courage" first. While a single glass of wine or one can of beer will help you take the edge off those nerves so you can approach your performance without your hands shaking, it's probably not a good idea to get shickered before going onstage. When you're drunk or even just a bit tipsy, you are more likely to forget the words, get the words wrong, mess up your timing and generally make a first-class fool of yourself. People will remember your performance, all right, but not for the right reasons. If you get wasted, you'll waste all the time you put into learning to sing!

It can be a good idea to take a small bottle of water onstage with you so you can take small sips in between songs. This overcomes the common problem of getting a dry mouth. Your mouth and throat need to be nicely moist so you can sing properly. Don't drink too much if you're singing for a long time, or you will get the bladder problem again.

If your singing performance is scheduled for after dinner entertainment, be careful with what you eat. A full stomach can cramp your diaphragm - command central for breath control and providing volume - so don't eat too much. Also be careful to avoid anything that will make you gassy - you don't really want to burp or hiccup while in full song. Eat by all means, but stop well before you feel full.

Regardless of when you are singing relative to dinner, you should eat a strong peppermint or one of those oral-care mentholated strips before you performance (but don't try chewing gum - you can't chew and sing at the same time). These will get those annoying little bits of phlegm out of your throat and nose that always seem to be there when you're about to sing in public. These minty things keep (or make) your breath fresh, which is a must if you plan on singing a duet. Your duet partner won't be able to smile happily or put on a nice lovey-dovey expression if they're getting the full force of your garlic breath!

One way of settling nerves that can also help clear the vocal tract is to use aromatherapy. Lavender oil is the best oil to choose here, as it calms nerves and clears the throat - try it in a vaporiser/burner or pop a drop or two on a tissue so you can inhale it. Other essential oils that calm the nerves are rose oil and neroli, while tea tree oil and eucalyptus clear the throat and nose - try combining these to create a pre-performance blend.

You should always warm up before you take the stage. This is an absolute must if your performance is going to be physically demanding (e.g. high notes or long notes). Not only will this quick rehearsal ensure that you can actually do it; it will also warm your muscles up. You wouldn't think of giving an athletic performance without warming up first and you shouldn't sing without warming up, either. Even if you're completely familiar with what you're singing and you've sung it a hundred times before, you should still warm up somehow. Every professional singer does. Go through a few scales and arpeggios, at the very least. If you're taking part in a big performance, the warming up usually is done during the rehearsal time when the sound people fiddle with microphones and foldback, and the backing band (or the rest of the choir) makes sure that everybody's got it all together.

Once you're all ready, it's time to get out there and wow your audience!

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