4 Ways To Prep For A Show
Living music is back you all! So how are you preparing your instrument and your full to shine and move people? Very often when singers/sounders reach out to me one of their main concerns is getting support to prepare for a live performance or recording. So I thought I would share some tips for fine tuning your voice, body and mind in order to go onstage or in the studio.
Develop a solid vocal routine. Make sure you have a good, consistent vocal warmup so you can hit your high notes and low notes and smoothly execute anything in between. Having good technique allows you to fully focus on the meaning of the story and the emotion you want to convey.
Play your music A LOT. Play your set or material on your phone or stereo and play through it live. Whether you play an instrument, use a track or have a band, practice singing your music so much that your brain knows it even when you’re half asleep and delirious.
Slow it down. I often recommend people practice a version of their song in a much slower tempo in order to work out where they’re going to breathe and to articulate each word to get the best clarity and resonance from your voice.
Dance to the music. As Sly said, dancing is where it’s at. I don’t fully trust a musician who doesn’t dance. Moving to the music is integral to our human experience and if you’re feeling or appearing stiff, practice dancing to your songs to release your breath and to unearth your onstage movement persona.
Visualize how you want to feel. Similar to playing through your set often, visualizing your performance is something that can truly help a performance day have that extra pop or feeling of everything falling into its right place. Take time in the weeks leading up to a performance or recording to fully see things play out as you would like. See and feel everything from your self-confidence to your clothing and your connection to the audience.
If you want more help working through any of these points or maybe an additional one, please reach out to learn about my 3 month program for women/non-binary folks. Building a voice routine can feel super empowering both on and offstage.