Stage fright - causes and cures

Stage fright. Performance anxiety. Nervousness. Numbness. Whatever you call it, most performers have experienced degrees of it from time to time. One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming one cure will fit all conditions of stage fright. From slight butterflies to outright incapacitating panic attacks, the causes are varied and therefore cures will be, also. And yes, numbness is just another form of stage fright.

From my experience performing and coaching others, the biggest contributions to the kinds of stinking thinking that leads to stage fright are these: the subtle and not-so-subtle messages we get (and deeply accept as true) from society, and most definitely from the music business and entertainment media.

Some examples of rotten messages leading to stinking thinking:

You better be better than everyone else, or you are a loser.You are being compared to everyone else, and you probably won't measure up.You better get everything right, and you better look right, and you better move right, and you better be perfect. The audience is judging you. If you aren't perfect, they will think you suck.If you suck at performance, you will or should die because you are worthless. (American Idol/Gladiator, etc!)You are a failure unless you win the part/award/contest.It's all about the high notes. It's all about the long notes. It's all about the vocal licks. It's all about the strong notes. It's all about YOU!

Here is the truth in one words: NOT!

What do any of the above things have to do with giving a message? Nothing! And believing them will give you stage fright to some degree or other. Why?

The voice runs on instinct. We must train ourselves to instinctively use correct technique, that's true, but in practical application, we perform instinctively, based on habitual thinking and on actions of the automatic nervous system. Change your thinking and you can change the automatic nervous system response. Consider:

Why do we have voices? To communicate messages. Period.

To whom can we direct our communication?

To the one heart of the audience physically present in your venueTo people-not-physically present (those who will in future hear the cd)To fictional people (but you must make them real for yourself to do this)To the living camera eyeTo a character with whom we're speaking in a playTo our own hearts (but to truly communicate to ourselves effectively, we must mentally send our voices outside ourselves so that our ears hear as if from someone else)

To whom should we not direct our voices?

To more than one person at time (writer Michael Clark once told me that if you sing like you're singing to thousands, you can't really move anyone; sing like you're singing to one person, you can move thousands.To someone you can't make real for yourself.To no one in particular. This is completely unfocused and is NOT communication. It's thinking about communicating, but it's not the act of doing so.

What messages can we communicate?

Happiness, relief, humor, pain, anger, sadness, hope, warning, love, an understanding, a request to be understood, a story, specific information, whatever the lyric is really about.

Where are the hardest places to authentically communicate?

In auditions. Why? Because it's the most artificial circumstance to be communicating. They, after all, really ARE judging you. You must consciously choose people, either present or not, real or fictional, to deliver the message to, and mentally ignore and block "judging" as motivation for your delivery.

If we accept the communication of messages as the primary conscious motivation to perform, how does it change things?

We will assume a different posture and body language, which will affect your breath and the openness of your throat.Our automatic nervous system's flight-or-fight response will be calmed, once again affecting breath and throat.Our self-consciousness will dissolve quickly into other-consciousness"Stage fright" will turn into "stage presence".

In the matter of winning awards and contests, getting parts, even in the act of moving an audience, all you can do is all you can do... and that is always enough! If you have joy in the actual act of performance, you have succeeded in doing your job. Believing this truth can set you free from fear onstage.

Though I am not prone to it, three memorable times I experienced stage fright were the first times I sang on the Grand Old Opry and stood on that ancient circle of wood, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Farm Aid, where they forgot to introduce me and I had to introduce myself in front of thousands of people. When I played these places again, I didn't experience near the anxiety as the first time. Here are some tips I've found useful:

Don't tell anyone you're nervous unless you know they won't play into it with you. If some well-meaning clueless person asks if you are nervous, (like RIGHT BEFORE YOU GO ONSTAGE, ARGHH!!), dismiss them as quickly and kindly as possible and later, tell them never to ask you that again! And certainly, don't do it to anyone else. Now you know.Play as much and in front of as diverse audiences as possible. This can include friends, your pets, your mirror! The more you do it, the more natural it feels to your automatic nervous system. And don't fear the second time will be as hard. I used to feel a "clutching" sensation in the bottom of my ribcage when I started the first song in a new kind of venue. I have learned that I just need to trust it to pass, to assume a posture that won't allow my chest to cave in much and also, not to pick a very difficult song as my first one. Like a horse running in a new field, if I just let myself run, my auto self will learn to trust that the field is safe, and I soon begin running (singing) fearlessly like the wind.Deal with stage fright as soon as you know you have it. It's like depression... don't ignore chronic conditions; they may grow out of control.

Which leads me to the next point... dealing with severe stage fright brought on by chemical imbalance or psychological social phobias.

If you can't pull yourself out of stinking thinking (and sometimes a great therapist can help you do so with a limited series of talk sessions), seek additional professional help. Sometimes a prescription medication can be a lifesaver... and severe stage fright can feel like dying. Dr. Robert Hubbard of "My Family Doctor Magazine" says:

The prescription medicine most commonly used is a beta-blocker such as propranolol. It peaks within a few hours and slows the heart rate down along with decreasing a tremor. Also the SSRI antidepressants such ac paxil have been approved for "social anxiety" of which stage fright is a type. Theses are usually tolerated well in most healthy adults but, as in all medications, there are potential side effects that your doctor should go over with you.

What you DON'T want to do is self medicate with mood altering substances. Oh yes, this is legendary with performers. The problem, other than the obvious health issues incurred with addictions, is that you become afraid you can't perform without the alcohol or drug. This becomes a vicious circle; don't look to it for help, because it will destroy you in the process.

In summary, discover the causes of your stage fright, be pro-active in looking for help, and know that a few butterflies going onstage with you can actually add to the passion, life and excitement of your performance!

Judy Rodman -singer/songwriter/producer/vocal instructor, developer of.
Power, Path & Performance vocal training -Discover, Heal, Maximize YOUR Voice!
website and blog: http://www.judyrodman.com
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email: rodmanjudy@comcast.net
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Judy Rodman has over 30 years of professional experience as a session singer, award-winning recording artist, stage and television performer, a multi-genre hit songwriter, a studio producer and vocal consultant, and a highly sought-after voice teacher. She has developed and trademarked her own vocal teaching method "Power, Path & Performance". She considers her student's vocal advances and successes the authentic testimony of the effectiveness of her teaching method.