| Ask a singer: �What is your basic motivation to perform?� And the answer you will get is: �I love to sing!� Does that mean, we singers are happy people because we do what we love? The outcome of a research study I conducted with my own voice students, colleagues and friends showed me, the universal problem of anxiety keeps many singers from happiness. Being a performer is not just fun and �glamorous�! Over the last couple of years I have been trying out different strategies to treat and prevent my own Performance Stress and that of my students. There is no quick-fix but there are coping methods. The following ideas and exercises take time but will be worthwhile in the long run in changing ingrained thought patterns and performance habits. I myself have dug out my joy of singing from under a paralyzing fear. Now I can tap into my creativity and have retrieved the joy of communicating with my audience without being drowned out by loud negative voices, and have improved my craft tremendously! I was one of those so called, �polarized perfectionists�. �Their thinking is polarized: one is either a winner or a loser, focused on product vs. process. These musicians are highly driven, competitive, compulsive, (sounds familiar?) and because of their single-minded focus on achieving perfection, are often disconnected from the more subtle communications of the psyche and body.� (Dr. Louise Montello, in International Musician, Dec. 2000) Our body is our instrument. The stress generated by high levels of competition, an �inner critic�, expression of our deepest emotions, rejection at auditions, financial struggle, and last but not least, the fear of catching a cold, wreak havoc with our immune system. We singers spend thousands of dollars a year on voice lessons, coachings, psychotherapists, massage therapists, doctors, gyms, beauty salons etc. to become the �perfect� performer. As a working singer myself, I was torn by a strong drive to be a vocal performer and the fear of being on stage. I knew I had talent, possessed a good voice, a love for performing. But somehow, as soon as I got on stage, the negative self talk, the fear of making mistakes or looking foolish became so overwhelming that I actually did make mistakes ordinarily easy to avoid. Luckily the drive made me persevere. I had psychotherapy and took Inderal. (Inderal belongs to the beta-blocker family of drugs, which are commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart rhythm irregularities. It works by blocking the action of adrenaline, the chemical that causes the fight-or-flight response.) Still I never was able to really �let go�. Of course, I studied voice, coached arias and took part in workshops � everything I could to hone my craft. But by the time the performance was there, I felt like the Greek mythological figure Sisyphus: near the peak and the rock would roll all the way downhill again. At times I despaired of ever becoming the artist I wanted to be. As a voice teacher at AMDA (American Musical & Dramatic Academy) in New York City, I see and hear many of my students fighting the same battle. These young and talented adults have entered this prestigious school in hopes of pursuing a performing career. In the studio they are expressive and produce a solid sound, but at their showcases, nerves get in the way of their breath support and creativity. 1) Understanding the function of the autonomic nervous system is important in order to reduce performance anxiety: Our bodies have an automatic mechanism to protect us from potential harm when we perceive something as threatening or dangerous. Imagine yourself walking through the woods and suddenly you see a big bear coming your way� What do you feel in your body? Increased cardiac rate, sweat secretion and skeleton muscle tone. You breathe harder, your blood pressure goes up, your pupils dilate, and your gastro-intestinal motor function inhibits (you feel nauseous). Our body goes through a series of rapid biochemical reactions to prepare us to either fight off the danger, or to get away from it. This so called �Fight or Flight� or arousal response mode, is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system. Now you are going to perform and you suffer from performance anxiety: you get engaged in talking to yourself: I hope I don�t screw up, don�t miss that entrance. The audience won�t like me, I�m no good, etc. In this worrisome state of mind, you are detecting or interpreting threat in your environment, whether it is real or imagined. The consequence of any perception of threat is the activation of the fight or flight reaction. But, performing on stage there is no one to fight and no place to run!� The only resource left is, to freeze� In the arousal response mode, you make too much adrenaline which leads to hyperactivity, anxiety, weakened-immunity and eventually burnout. Finding a balance in your energy will help you to stay healthy and improve your performance. |
| 2) Relaxation exercises: According to an article for the American Psychological Association, by Thomas Borkovec, about GAD (general anxiety disorder) there are different ways to reduce the perception of threat. One of them is relaxation training, which activates the counterpart of the nervous system: the para-sympathetic nervous system. a) The Constructive Rest from the �Alexander Technique� (Body Learning, by Michael Gelb) is one way to start your day with a �tabula rasa�: Lay down on the floor. Lead your awareness down your spine. Get aware of any tension in your body but do not physically do anything to change it. �Tell� any tension you feel, �to let go�. (about 5 minutes). b) The �61 point� relaxation exercise is another exercise in which the breath is focused on the major energy meridian points through the body. It is a very deep relaxation exercise. It can help transform unresolved mind-body issues (traumas). (The �61 point� relaxation CD by Louise Montello) 3) Mindfulness meditation: In Voice Prints, the New York Singing Teachers Association Newsletter, the article Can Meditation reduce Performance Anxiety? Valerie Coates, New York singer and voice teacher, says, �My life altered dramatically after I introduced meditation into my life�. After a very successful experiment with one of her voice students who suffered from performance anxiety, she now incorporates 5-minutes of meditation practice into each lesson. �Performance anxiety is only one of many reasons to consider introducing voice students to meditation�, she says. �A short meditation segment before beginning a lesson can clear the mind and can bring a stressed-out student into the present moment�. (Valerie Coates; NYSTA) Star soprano Dawn Upshaw has a routine of a 10-Minute-Relaxer before every performance. Upshaw says: �Because tension tightens and restricts the vocal chords, I begin with limbering the muscles in my neck: I drop my head to my chest, then slowly bend my neck to each shoulder, repeat ten times. Breathe deeply: Make a conscious effort to take long and deep breaths before you get on stage. Drink lots of water: It helps fend off the dry throat that comes with having the jitters. To ground herself -literally- before going on stage, Upshaw squats to the floor for several seconds, dropping her head and taking several deep breaths. �This is as much a physiological exercise as a physical one�, she says. �It lowers my center of gravity, making me feel more solid and relaxed�. 4) Power of rhythm and breath: �Erratic breath rhythms lead to confusion and make you vulnerable to emotional outbursts� and �rhythmical breathing connects you with the universal pulse of nature� says guru Hazrat Inayat Khan (Essential Musical Intelligence, (Quest Books, NY, p 48). Cardiologist Chandra Patel did an extended research about essential hypertension caused by stress. Yoga and breathing exercises reduced the hypertension in those who participated in the trial. Breath awareness is a tool to reduce any stress and therefore, performance stress. Exercise: Lay on the floor. Make yourself comfortable (dim lights, turn of your phone, etc). Close your eyes and get aware of your breath. What do you notice? a) Diaphragmatic breathing: Put one hand on your belly and one on your chest to make sure you don�t raise your chest while inhaling. Visualize the harmony of the universe: The rising and setting of the sun, the changing phases of the moon or the movements of the tides. b) Even breathing: Count the same amount of numbers for inhaling and exhaling c) 2-1 breathing: Double the exhaling time d) Cleansing breath (�skull shining�): Inhale and exhale on pff-pff-pff or sss-sss-sss e) Alternate Nostril Breath: (see article Classical Singer December 2003 issue by Suzanne Jackson) f) Brahmari (the �bee�): Inhale through your nose while making a light high-pitched sound, breath out on a low-pitched hum. Do each of these exercises for about 15 minutes on a daily basis and keep your records in a Home Practice Chart and find out which exercises benefit you most. 5) Self-Assessment and Cognitive Restructuring: To deal with anxiety, you must become aware of inner self talk. What you believe, think and what you say to yourself and others creates your own reality. This can be altered by reprogramming your conscious mind with more adaptive, self affirming self talk. Exercise: write a list of 10 self affirming statements and carry it with you, read the list as often as you can especially before a performance. 6) Create resourceful language: Research has found that language reinforces a certain emotional state. When we are feeling fear, worry and self-doubt, we express ourselves differently than when we are feeling relaxed, trusting and self-assured. How we express ourselves verbally is actually reinforcing and fueling our emotional state. Say: �I want to sing with freedom� instead of �I want to sing without fear�. Somehow our brain registers the nouns �freedom� and �fear�, not the preposition �with� or �without�. This way we reinforce feelings of safety and trust. Tell yourself: �I am looking forward to getting the chance to perform� instead of, �I will be so happy when this is over�. Don�t worry if you do not believe in what you say at first. It takes time to recondition your emotional state, just as it takes time to build muscle when you start to work out. To build muscle emotionally, we need to regularly reinforce a positive mental state as much as possible. (Janet Esposito, In The Spotlight) 7) Left Brain versus Right Brain: Awakening the innate �Music Child�: We use our left brain for analytic purposes. With this side of the brain we learn our music, the rhythm, the lyrics etc. The right side of our brain is receptive, emotional and creative. Suffering from performance anxiety due to �self-talk� and the �inner critic� means, we are too much in our left brain. Successful ways to activate the right brain is to improvise. Improvisation: a) You don�t need to master an instrument to improvise with it. Get a drum, a keyboard, a flute or anything you can make music with. Could you play the music of your anxiety? Is it loud, soft, monotone? Playing the music of your fear, functions as a vehicle for expressing unacceptable, repressed feelings and memories. (Louise Montello, Musician�s Wellness)) Improvise with your voice. Get together with a couple of friends/singers to do the following exercises: b) Speak Gibberish and try to copy each others �language� c) Choose a short (simple) poem. Pick 10 musical terms and apply it to reciting for each other. For example: staccato, irritato, accelerando, crescendo, mezza voce, legatissimo, etc. (You can do this exercise on your own as well) d) Sit in a circle with 3. Make physical contact by putting hands on each others knees. Close your eyes. Spontaneously one will start to make sound and the others will join in. You can decide to use a word or simply vowels. It is remarkable what beautiful ensembles come to life without rehearsing in advance and without a music score! (These 3 exercises are based on work and publications by Ann Baltz, OperaWorks) e) Sing a song with different emotions: For example with anger, happiness, awe, hysteria, surprise , worry, and so forth. (based on work by Wesley Balk) You can take these exercises into your own music. It will not only help you to get more into your right-brain, but will also deepen your emotional awareness and musicality. You will discover new dimensions in the music you have been overseeing while just working with the left, analytical part of the brain. You will be amazed about the music you�ll make and the feeling of freedom it leaves you! 8) Creative arts techniques: Do you ever draw or color? Here is your chance: take a piece of paper and some markers or crayons. Draw your fear or feelings of stress: what shape does it have? Is it big, is it small, has it sharp edges or a smooth border? What color does it have? Maybe it has different colors? Making a drawing will help you excavate your paralyzing emotions and empower you. (Dr. Louise Montello) 9) Visualization: Visualize your fears rather than let them paralyze you. Find a place to sit or lay undisturbed and comfortably. Close your eyes. Think of your fear, stress, or feelings of burn out. Where do you feel it in your body? Is it deep inside of you, or more on the surface? Is it heavy, stinging, burning? Does it have a color? When you have a clear picture, sit with it for a moment. Now imagine the sunlight shine on the emotion you have depicted inside of you. You can let the sun make the colors fade, let the warmth crumble it. Let a gentle breeze take it away. Now follow your �fear� while you let it go, taken away from you up into the sky. See it getting smaller and smaller and smaller� According to Dr. Louise Montello in her book Essential Musical Intelligence, (Quest Books, NY) to connect with the real-self as a performer, you need to balance and harmonize all five levels of being: the body, the breath/energy, the mind, the imagination/intellect and the realm of bliss. Learning how to cope with sympathetic overdrive through the power of rhythm and breath, relaxation exercises, visualization, autogenic techniques and �mindfulness meditation� and stop the �inner talk�, will help you to reevaluate hyperactivity as performance energy and use it! I discovered that not just people suffering from performance anxiety can benefit from these exercises, but also those who feel burned out and/or want to bring more balance into their lives. New York City, Wilma H. Wever [email protected] Wilma H. Wever, recognized by the New York Times for being �attractive and engaging� in her World Premiere of �Jocasta�, works as a professional singer, teaches voice at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York and gives Performance Wellness workshops for singers. She graduated at Mannes College of Music in NY. |
| Performance Wellness . |
| Freedom to Sing By Wilma Wever |