Nurturing Your Inner Rockstar –
Navigating Audiences, Confidence, and Nerves
As a musician, it’s common to feel vulnerable or apprehensive on stage, regardless of your age and experience. Overcoming stage fright is part of the journey toward becoming a fearless performer. Whether you are performing for three people or a crowd of thirty thousand, you have the capacity to conquer your fears. Here are some strategies to help you navigate being in the spotlight with confidence.
Releasing Stress Before Performing
Relaxation techniques have been used for hundreds if not thousands of years to prepare performers before going in front of the crowd. This helps them to get into a clear mindset and relaxed physical position, making performances undoubtedly better.
Physically Warm Up: Engage in a physical warm-up will release tension in your body and prepare you to focus for the performance. Stretching, gentle yoga poses, or even a short walk can help loosen up your muscles and release any tension.
Warm-Up on your instrument: Having a routine warm up to follow will help you get ready to play your set with ease and flow. It’s ideal if it’s something easy and something that you do every day to check that everything is in order and you are ready to hit the stage.
Deep Breathing: Practice deep breathing exercises to calm your nerves and center yourself before going on stage. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this several times to relax your body and mind. Presence is important in a lot of respects while performing. Being present and clearing your mind will help you perform with ease.
Center: Notice where your hands and feet are before going on stage. Notice what your fingers feel like when you move them, notice what your toes feel like next. You can do this with any part of your body. Notice how there are no thoughts when doing this, just the feeling. This will help you take a deep breath and relax your anxieties before performing.
Connect with Your Audience: Establish a connection with your audience by making eye contact, smiling, and engaging with them. Remember that they are there to support and enjoy your performance. No one is there to laugh or give you a hard time. See your friends and family waving in the audience and know how proud they are of you and your achievements.
Focus on the Music: Shift your focus away from your nerves by concentrating on the music itself. Pay attention to your instrument or vocals, the rhythm, melody, and meaning behind the music. Immersing yourself in the music can help distract you from anxious thoughts and keep you grounded in the present moment. Many great performers talk about the experience of becoming ‘lost in the music.’
Preparing Before the Big Day
Practice Practice Practice: The best way to be confident on stage is to know what you’re playing so well that you play through it without any questions asked. This opens up the door to a wonderful place where both the audience and musician(s) enjoy the music together. See our blog for some tips on practicing.
Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations and encouragement. Catch yourself when you are not being your own best friend. Remind yourself of your skills, preparation, and past successes. Repeat affirmations such as “I am prepared,” “I am practiced,” “I am confident,” and “I am ready to shine” to boost your confidence and banish any self doubts.
Positive Visualization: Visualize yourself performing confidently and successfully on stage. Imagine the audience reacting positively to your performance and feel the excitement and joy of sharing your music with them. Positive visualization can help boost your confidence and reduce anxiety. Practice this before band practice and before going on stage.
Acceptance: Accept that nerves are a natural part of performing and forgive yourself for any mistakes or imperfections. Remember that even the most experienced performers have their own nerves and mess up sometimes. Embrace the imperfections as a normal part of a live performance experience and focus on enjoying the moment.
As you progress, you will grow a deeper knowledge of your musical influences as well as your confidence in your own abilities. You will be able to start incorporating tones and rhythms from the music you love and learn to reinvent what it is you love about it. Incorporating techniques, sounds or qualities of music can inspire you to find your own unique expression to perform with on stage. The best place to start is by exposing yourself to as much music as possible, making it easier for you to aim towards what you love.
Find Your Niche
Explore Different Genres: Start by exploring a wide range of music genres to discover what resonates with you. From classical or jazz to rock, pop, blues, and beyond, each genre offers a unique style and sound and types of instruments that may appeal to you. Take the time to listen to a variety of artists and bands within each genre. Use streaming platforms, like spotify or apple music, radio stations, and recommendations from friends, family or music teachers to discover new music. Pay attention to melodies, rhythms, lyrics, and instrumentation that you can see yourself playing.
Play Along: Experiment with playing along to different songs and styles on your instrument. Try learning songs by your favorite artists or bands, as well as pieces
recommended to you. Playing along allows you to engage directly with the music and gauge how well it suits your playing style and preferences.
Attend Live Performances: Experience live music performances whenever possible. Attend concerts, recitals, open mic nights, or local gigs to witness musicians performing live and in person. Live performances can provide a deeper connection to the music and inspire you to explore new ways of expressing yourself.
Experiment with Different Instruments: If you play multiple instruments or are open to learning new ones, experiment with different ones to see how they influence your musical preferences. Certain genres or styles may resonate more strongly when played on specific instruments, so exploring different instrumental possibilities can broaden your musical horizons. This will help with your confidence as you will feel secure in your instrument and music choice.
Consider Your Emotions: Pay attention to how different types of music make you feel emotionally. Notice if certain songs or genres evoke feelings of joy, excitement, nostalgia, or introspection. Your emotional response to music can provide valuable insights into your preferences in music choice. Here are some exercises for exploring your emotions with music.
Trust Your Instincts: Trust your instincts and intuition when selecting music to play. Follow your passion and curiosity, even if it leads you in unexpected directions. Remember that your stage presence is ultimately a reflection of your unique tastes, experiences, and personality. Regardless of what you wear or what instrument you play or which songs you chose, your soul will always shine through. Trust yourself and know that no one can do it like you do.
Remaining open to new experiences will help you make discoveries that resonate with you. Exploring how other musicians express their true selves can help give you the courage to go outside the box and rock your best self. When you are performing as your most authentic self, you can gradually narrow down your nerves while performing. As well as learning that you can navigate through your fears in any situation.
Finding Your Self:
Here are steps to help you find your confidence and channel your inner rockstar:
Embrace Yourself: Confidence is key to channeling your inner rockstar. Believe in yourself and your abilities as a musician. Find what sticks out about you and use it to empower your stage persona. Stand tall, find confidence in your posture and body language. Know that what you’re doing is already impressive.
Find Your Stage Persona: Develop a stage persona that embodies your personality and spirit. Experiment with different styles, attitudes, and expressions until you find one that feels authentic and empowering. Whether you’re a flamboyant frontman, a mysterious guitarist, or a powerhouse drummer, let your stage persona rock with no restriction. Spend some time researching artists like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce or David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust. Having an alter-ego can help you find the confidence to shine bright.
Perform with Passion: Infuse your performances with passion, energy, and raw emotion. Let go of inhibitions and let the music take control. Lose yourself in the moment, express yourself freely, and unleash your inner voice with every chord, riff, and beat.
Express Yourself Authentically: Be true to yourself and express your unique personality and creativity through your music. Don’t be afraid to take risks, push
boundaries, and defy expectations. Embrace your individuality and let it shine through in everything you do. Go outside the box!
Rock the Look: Cultivate a distinctive look that reflects your personal style and complements your stage persona. Experiment with fashion, hairstyles, and accessories to create a visually striking image that commands attention and reinforces your rockstar status. Look through your closet and create a costume that makes you feel like a superhero version of yourself. What would your alter ego wear on stage?
Stay Resilient: Embrace the natural highs and lows of music with resilience and determination. Persevere through setbacks, challenges, and criticism, and use them as fuel to drive your passion and ambition. Stay true to your vision and keep rocking no matter what obstacles come your way.
Have Faith in Yourself: Regardless of what happens, you will be the one creating the music. Trust yourself and that you will always do your best. Have faith in yourself that you will always succeed.
By finding what truly speaks to you, finding your authentic voice and learning how to let go of fear, you’ll be effortlessly rocking out on stage. Your creativity and passion for music will give you a profound sense of self confidence and pride in yourself. You can channel your inner rockstar and captivate audiences with electrifying performances and learn how to truly express your inner voice. Rock on!