How to sing in front of people by idedalus

"I sang in the car for years before taking an actual class at school."

How I did it: I began to be interested in singing when I tried to learn about music composition and realized I had no idea how to write for voice. So I thought it'd make sense to learn to sing so I could hear what I was writing.

In the beginning I was so self-conscious that I wasn't even comfortable singing alone. But I made a bunch of CD mixes of songs I like and played them over and over in the car, singing along. I sounded HORRIBLE, but I tried to concentrate on small goals, like first staying in tune, then trying to sing longer notes, then vibrato, etc. After a couple of years on and off, I'd say I was in tune and was decent enough that I could imagine people listening to me and not weeping...

At some point though, I plateaued and felt like I needed to learn through actual guidance. So I signed up for a beginner's class at school and was surprised to see that there were people who were less technically proficient than I was. I guess most people really can't sing, but the ones who do make it embarrassing for the rest of us! The class made me extremely nervous at first, since parts of it involved standing up there by yourself, but by the end of it, I got through the recital just fine.

I still have a ways to go before I can say I actually have a pleasant or consistent singing voice, but the class was great - it was small (8 people) and everyone was supportive and nice. So now instead of seeing singing in front of people as a huge impossibly scary task, I can imagine becoming comfortable with it over time.

Next step: singing with other people (which is, after all, a little less stressful!)

Lessons & tips: Find a place where you don't feel self-conscious practicing. It's definitely key to record and listen to yourself at some point since you can't always hear yourself well, especially if you sing along to professionals. That tricks you into thinking you sound better than you actually do. :P I wouldn't do it too much or too early in your progress though; it can be a bit discouraging at first. In my opinion you need to protect your desire to keep going while trying to be a critical listener.


 

Aug 11, 02:25PM PDT | 0 comments | 10 cheers


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idedalus has gotten 10 cheers on this entry.

 

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