Expert: J. Spyder Isaacson - 11/13/2007

Question
I have a big singing audition coming up next week. I am auditioning to be a singer in my church band. They play modern christian music. Everybody in the band is really nice. They are all my friends and every single one of them is very supportive of everything I do. I know I should not be nervous, but I can't help it. Are there any tips you can give me on how to give a great audition? I was also wondering if you could help me to calm my nerves. Please help me. That would be fantastic. Thanks!

~Carolina~

Answer
WOW!  Sorry I'm late, but I just now got notice of your question!

One of the performer's greatest challenges is stage fright. It can be as mild as a slightly increased heart rate, and as devastating as complete paralysis and total amnesia. Don't be discouraged - everyone faces it, even the best in the business. (I can't recall precisely who it was, but there was a legendary actor who threw up right before he went on, every single time.) However, there are ways around it.

A great tool for overcoming your fears is the actor's fourth wall. It's the idea that, for a performer, there really is no audience -- you have the three walls of the set/stage around your, and then you have an invisible wall between you and your audience. If you can get yourself into starting to accept the "reality" of that extra wall, that helps. And as you become more skilled and confident, this will become easier and easier.

Additionally, there are any number of tricks that can be used. One of the most famously related is the idea of imagining those observing in their underwear. (Of course, if you have attractive classmates, that might not help much. ;{)} ) Or you could pretend that each of them has just been royally humiliated right before class, and that they're hiding it. Or think of something utterly ludicrous, like maybe that each of them wears exactly the same underpants. You can also use the old "blue elephants" trick - have someone else tell you not to think of blue elephants. You'll wind up thinking of nothing else, including your nervousness.

However, the best approach from my personal opinion is simply to rely upon the support of your band and friends.  Remember -- they are ALL on your side, and if anything negative comes from the "audience", as it is, then that negativity is going to be shared by them.  They are willing to absorbe their fair share of the nervousness and negativity.  Consider that they share any damage that occurs from the lack of perfection in the overall impression -- after all, can you be held accountable for the flatness or sharpness of an otherwise perfect note from one of their instruments?

Also, try to turn your nervousness into energy for the performance - as an actor, I speak from an actor's perspective, and this is what most actors do. We re-channel the energy and feed it into our performance.  I've worked with enough professional (and recorded) singers who have confirmed that they use the same process.  Sure, it takes practice, but when you've got it down I can tell you for an absolute fact that it works.

I'm also going to give you some advice from someone in the Faith -- Trust Him.  If you really believe in the Lord, let Him take the fear away.  After all, the opposite of Love isn't hate, it's Fear -- and "Perfect Love casts away fear", and "God is Love."  Trust me, as a performer, it isn't easy to rely on this, but when you can (as I try to every peformance) it works.

Please let me know how your audition goes.  Break a leg and, more importantly, God Bless!

-- Spyder