Q&A for How to Sing in Front of an Audience

There's an old actor's trick that helps. Before you sing, draw an imaginary circle around you, fill it with gold or pink light if you like, or a scene of a field or forest, whatever your heart loves, and know that that is your singing space. No one and nothing that is not love can enter, and you are free and safe there.

Take deep breaths, stay calm, and focus on the song.

In the event you make a mistake, don't panic. Simply continue with your song. If you finish the rest of the sound successfully, chances are no one will notice a small mistake.

Try to keep the microphone a little away from your mouth. Make sure to take deep breaths before singing a verse. This way, you'll breathe less while you're actually singing.

Yes - but not for more than a second or so, or it will seem odd. Make sure it blends with the style.

Practice! If you have been given a copy of the music review it a few times. It also helps to find a recording of the song you are performing on YouTube and listen to it until you have it memorized.

Try and do choreography or tweak the song and make it your own so those parts aren't vocal-less.

Some light stretching and exercise can help calm you down before a performance. Go for a brisk walk or do some stretches in your dressing room.

Have the mic a respectable distance from your face, then move it away as you stretch a word.

Take a deep breath, and look up mouth position. It will help pronounce your words and it wont make it so non-understandable. Also, if you wear glasses, and you sing in front of an audience, take them off, because then you cannot see their faces.

Practice your song in front of a mirror so you'll know what facial expressions you make and how they fit into the song. If you find yourself making the "wrong" facial expression at any particular point, write it down and remind yourself to focus on your face during that portion of the song, which should stop you from making the same expressions again.

The trick is to start small. Try singing in front of your family, friends, or small groups of people. Gradually start singing for more and more people. It also helps if you practice a lot. The more confident you are in your voice, the better.

If you have to look at the cup to keep from messing up, I would do that because the beat is the backbone of the song. But if you can alternate, try to look up from time to time, or just pick a spot at the back of the room to look at.

Very few people look their best while singing, just because they are so focused on singing well and not on what they look like. Remember to relax and have confidence, and try to think consciously about your facial expressions every now and then.

Maybe talk to your teacher to see if they can help you, and try to study with the people in your play.

If you have a loud enough voice, you may not need the mic. Also, different mics create different sounds when singing. More high end mics create a better sound than low end ones. You may also have to practice with your tone when singing with a mic.

They will not laugh unless it is a funny song. I have done musical theater for 5 years, and the audience is always supportive. Don't worry.

Just ignore it the best you can and keep going. If you cannot do that, just try to laugh it off. Try not to let that be the only thing you remember about your performance. If you are lucky, maybe no one will even notice!

Think about your happy moments, as long as smiling fits with the meaning of the song.

Before you sing, try exercising, taking deep breaths, or just simply doing anything to calm yourself down. Try your best to reduce as much stress as possible, and just overall calm yourself. Maybe take a self-care day to take everything off your mind. Another thing to keep in mind is that if it's a song that people might not know so well (for example folk songs). People don't usually know the lyrics to these songs.

Don't let yourself think about the audience. Sometimes you can close your eyes just to not look at the audience. However, you can make it seem to the audience that you are just feeling the music.