Fear of Singing
by Mark Bosnian
The idea of singing in public causes strong fear in many of us. Surveys consistently rank public speaking and singing as the number one or two fear, along with dying. Why are we so afraid to sing or speak in public? What is it that really scares us? When I ask singers this question, I usually hear variations on a theme: “I don’t want anyone to hear me make a mistake”, “I’m afraid of making a fool of myself”, “I know I will sound awful”. These statements all make sense but they don’t explain why some of us are more afraid of singing in public than dying.
My experience as both a singer and a voice teacher has shown me that the fear of singing goes even deeper. It’s based on the fact that we all make both conscious and unconscious decisions, observations and judgments about people based on the information we receive when they sing or speak. An audience can very quickly come to conclusions about intelligence, experience, success level, political persuasion, spirituality, morals, confidence, etc., from the way a person sings or speaks. On some level we all know this happens, so of course the idea of being judged this way scares us.
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the voice is the front door. If we open it up, we let the world in and out true selves out. This is what really scares us-- people are going to see who we really are, and they are not going to like us. This keeps most people from ever singing and causes many singers to have less than engaging performances. I teach The 3 Steps Of Performing With Confidence but it’s important to know that they will only work when you come to the realization that forever worrying about what other people think will stop you from achieving your dreams.
You need to see that you have gifts to give the world, and if singing calls to you as an avenue to give these gifts, you don’t need anyone’s approval or permission to sing. This sounds obvious but can be very challenging to live. Part of your development as a singer will be to learn to walk your path with courage, one step at a time, and to develop your awareness that opening yourself to the world, revealing your authentic self, and giving your gift to world is one of the main reasons you are here. Not everyone will want to receive your gift or like it--it doesn’t matter. The joy is truly in the giving, and performing with confidence is an incredibly powerful experience.
© 2008 Mark Bosnian
|
