Performers Need to Practice Performing (Not Just Singing)

Over the years, one of the things that most surprises my students — even though I do warn them about it — is how different performing in front of an audience is from singing in the studio with me or singing at home while practicing.

The effects of adrenaline cannot be overstated. Your body is in a completely different state when in a performance situation. Studies have shown that adrenaline levels during public speaking (just speaking) are the same as those experienced when jumping out of a plane. Our old, evolutionarily-stuck brain equates public performance with physically high risk situations, and the hormones it pumps through our bodies physically alters our instrument (cuz our instrument IS our bodies). Adrenaline can make our tempos speed up, our mouths extra dry or extra watery, and our breaths go too high in our chests. But, adrenaline also has positive effects — more stamina, higher energy, and more strength.

So, dedicated students, you will find great benefit to practicing with your body/instrument in that adjusted-adrenaline state. To consistently get great performances, you need to practice the actual act of performing in front of people. Always make sure that, before you do your big performances (the ones you really care about), you go practice performing at smaller live venues. That way, you can really learn to manage your instrument when your instrument includes the adrenaline that uniquely hits when you are in public.

Here are some tips on finding ways to practice performing (by actually performing) — particularly for folks who live in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Live Performance Options: For pop/rock/country performers, open mics are friendly, relatively low-pressure, and fun. You generally need to provide your own accompaniment, so bring your instrument or a guitar-playing friend…or call ahead to see if they can play off your phone if you need a track. However, there are some really cool locations that provide a pianist or even a guitarist/bassist/drummer to back vocalists. I’ve put together a handy list of open mics for you at www.latimerlo.com/ginas-blog/open-mic-listing. Karaoke is not a bad way to go either, so do a quick online search for locations or just host a party!

For musical theatre folks, auditions for local shows are always happening. Join Theatre Bay Area (theatrebayarea.org) to have immediate access to tons of audition listings or sign up for the bayareatheatrebums google group which will send audition listings to your inbox. Remember, you can go audition for anything, whether or not you plan to be in the show. You just need to practice performing in anxiety-provoking situations, and auditions will definitely provide that opportunity for you.

There are also online possibilities that may feel a little less intense, but still give you a little bit of an adrenaline kick. YouTube is the popular place to show off your talent, not just in recorded segments, but also in livestreams. A great tutorial on how to livestream on youtube is here: https://youtu.be/Rdta45g_hg8?si=YcOIb3h398O3nZxs You can offer your gifts for free or use a service (like eventbrite.com) to sell tickets to your livestream show.

If you want to start even smaller in your dealings with adrenaline, try just recording yourself at home. It’s super weird how pressing that little red record button on your phone gives you a mild kick of adrenaline and anxiety. It’s a good place for baby-stepping into more vulnerable performance situations, especially if you promise to send a song recording to a friend. Now you’re really on the hook! And, that’s a great way to practice!