Comment pouvez-vous aider les clients nerveux à se sentir plus confiants dans leurs capacités vocales ?

Make sure to check if that person really really really wants to learn how to sing. Some people get charmed by the idea of singing, superstars, you name it and once they realise that it’s something holistic and very personal they might be so scared to consider quitting. And for sure, there is no one to blame. Coaches and teachers are there to motivate, support and empower, not to convince. Oh and sometimes people may get also issues due to very basic health habits, vitamins, sleep, dehydration, histamine.. it’s no secret that music has healthy and therapeutic effects: an emphatic, friendly, comfy, funny mentor can for sure help - but it has to be clear that a trainer should never serve as a psychologist surrogate.

Nervousness is a state of mind that impacts us physically. Our minds and bodies are inextricably linked so it's understandable. When I'm nervous my temperature rises, I get a knot in my stomach and my negative thoughts dominate. It's helpful to acknowledge that nerves are understandable especially performance nerves. We put ourselves out there to be judged so the anticipation of what people think matters. It always helps me to remember why I do what I do and the simple answer is I love it and it brings me immense joy. That is what I remind myself of when I am practicing and before I walk onto any stages. I also share this with my clients and students. Change the mental message, change the physical response. It works every time.

One thing I have found helpful is to put yourself in the shoes of your clients. Can you remember the first time you stood in front of a voice teacher. What were the thoughts going through your mind? What was it that made you nervous. For me as a transgender singer it was simply a part of my journey of a broader acceptance of who I was. But had I had the wrong instructor it could have been traumatic. Our voices are so personal to who we are. Am I going to be judged or put in a small box because of what this director or instructor thinks that I can do? Or that is humanly possible because I was born male? You would be surprised how ignorant many voice teachers are about things that are different or unfamiliar.

Your fear and rage is trapped in your body and so of corse is your voice. Strong bio energetic body exercises are designed to release rage and fear and flood The body with breath. Awaken who you are! Lynn Singer

Stress is normal and can be beneficial. Not being nervous before a performance is not good it can lead to lack of concentration! Like anything else it gets better with practise…

Sandwich technique sounds quite a harmful suggestion. Lots of unqualified’ vocal coaches’ out there so ensure you know a coaches credentials before you let them loose on your precious voice. I never use tail enders or ‘but’. It’s disempowering and makes them feel a failure. Once you say ‘but’ they’ll not listen to the suggestions. Breath support is not inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. That’s mindfulness and if you make the breath out longer than inhalation, you’ll kick in the parasympathetic nervous system. Compliments and ‘let’s try this and let your body give you feedback. Which do you prefer?’ empowers and gives clients control. They also learn to listen to their body, which gives them skills to self-practise healthily.

Positive affirmations go hand in hand with understanding the client.Some clients do not even believe the compliments.Therefore as a vocal teacher ensure you understand ways that your student is able to build their self belief,self confidence and how to motivate.

Good technique unless you have learned that this student is still a beginner and has not learned to take what he/she needs and drop the rest. Otherwise, the student may focus on the one negative and forget the 2 positives.

Let’s set the record straight. They are vocal folds, not cords or chords. If your vocal coach does not say vocal folds, they are outdated and doesn’t know physiology in the latest vocal practice or shouldn’t be practising on you. Diaphragmatic breathing is difficult to learn when you breathe from the upper part of the lungs and lift your shoulders. Ensure abdomen goes out when you inhale and relaxes on exhalation. Shoulders stay still.

Yes, this usually helps nervous students. I compose songs to help them stay present in the moment. Another fun warm up, besides the ones the good ones you have listed is using “tongue twisters” - our studio loves to laugh and I often initiate these for this purpose

Stress can be relieved with the inclusion of physical stretching during a lesson. Spend some moment in relaxing our muscles, and adjusting our breath definitely help with relieving our tension. After all, singing is about our whole body, not just our voice.

Warm-up - Begin with lip trills and humming. Progress to scales for smooth transitions. Include sirens to work on pitch. Practice deep breathing exercises. Focus on filling lungs and engaging the diaphragm. Maintain consistent breath support. Experiment with pitches and tones. Avoid imitating others. Emphasize resonance in your chest voice. Gradually expand breath support for higher notes. Relax throat and jaw Connect emotionally to lyrics. Experiment with dynamics. - Use facial expressions for emotion. - Rehearse in front of a mirror. - Practice with backing tracks. - Increase audience gradually - Practice mindfulness and deep breathing. - Visualize successful performances. - smaller venues, progressing gradually.

Games in group sessions are great for gaining trust. Mini concerts are great to observe others and yourself in a performing environment. Games and stories are great targeted at the right age group. My clients don’t expect me charge £150 for a session and play games. Stories and metaphors can be used therapeutically.

Excellent-games are popular. We often bring in friendly audiences to support our students. We record our students too. We give trophies and ribbons. Positive feedback is much more important than “perfect” lingo for our students. One has to explain the goal and content of the exercise rather than rely on lingo they do not understand.

We can relieve stress and nervousness by creating a positive and encouraging classroom atmosphere. No one would dare to sing out in a critical, negative environment, even if they have the technique. With appropriate compliments, highlighting the unique beauty and character of their own voices, and creating an encouraging performance environment definitely help students improve.

In my experience, singing our favorite or familiar songs will help create a safe and fun learning environment. By choosing those songs, our clients may familiarize themselves with the melody (music notation) and the lyric, so that they may focus on learning the singing techniques. Thus, it will help our clients reduce their nervous condition and start enjoying their singing lessons (life long learning experience in singing). Learning how to sing is a process, so we should set the goal and achieve that goal carefully and wisely, especially for the client with a nervous condition.

A great way to start is by having a karaoke party with friends. When you’re having fun singing becomes a bonding and gratifying experience.

Going back to basics here. The root cause of their nervousness has to be cleared. If you’re an introvert, perhaps choosing a vocal coach who is also a therapist will be better for you. Alternatively, have a therapist and ualifidd vocal coach working in tandem beside you.

I have always explained to my clients how there is no such thing as wrong sound nor the right sound. There is only sound. The one we can create. (If making sounds hurts, it can be considered as wrong one.) By recognizing this people often loosen up and enjoy the sounds they can create. This courage and enjoyment then is applied to the speech or any other sound-need (pitch, call, presentation, etc) and it suddenly appears more easy and great opportunity to open ones voice. We all have a unique voice and way of creating sounds. Lets enjoy it!

I begin with the simple fact that every voice is unique, and naturally suited to make certain sounds. I remind them that the only person in the world they have to sound like is themselves, and that my aim is to help them find and love their natural instrument. I draw the analogy of mining diamonds to the voice. I tell them that the more of their “rock” (sounds they consider unpleasant, unattractive, or undesirable) they offer, the more “diamond” (polished, refined, usable, aesthetically pleasing sounds) I can uncover. I never lie to my students, but I will always deliver truth with kindness, empathy, a little humor, and solutions.

Regular voice training and exercise helps develop faith in the voice. Regular micro presentations to get used to owning the space of presenting - can be rehearsed online or in person. Identifying reasons for nervousness is important also, if the individual can express that.

Record and listen to your vocals, using simple karaoke apps. Graduate to playing an instrument like a guitar or piano to accompany yourself. Find songs that are within range. You do not try to sing outside of your range.

Life is about growth and development. Your vocal cords will expand with practice just like an athlete, cannot develop muscles instantly, vocal stamina takes practice. A great place to singers in the shower when you can hear yourself through the resonance of the walls. If singing with others, do not sing so loudly that you do not hear them and focus on blending in group settings.

Give them concrete things to do rather than not do. Focusing on doing something physical, such as dividing the audience into three sections and randomly shifting your gaze at the end of a thought or section, helps focus that nervous energy.

One of the essential things to understand about anxiety, is that we create it. Then we can identify if it’s undue anxiety, that may require deeper levels of treatment to deal with. But if it’s just your standard stage fright, this is a source of energy for your performance, as well as evidence that your performance matters to you. In my experience, a little bit of nerves fuels a better show. It reminds me that it’s about the audience, not me. It gets me to focus on delivering my best work. In coaching sessions, my students often confirm that if they can deliver a strong performance in our private session, with their coach examining every detail, they’re set for the stage. If we can let go of the desire to be approved of, we’ll deliver.

Identifying areas of tension can improve voice and confidence at the same time. It’s nerve-wracking to need skill improvement before you feel at all confident, even though that will help tremendously. Yet- It’s hard to feel confident before improvements kick in. Finding something short term to improve while addressing the whole - picture is a win-win for boosting confidence- which boosts performance, too.

Sometimes little gadgets would help with relieving performance anxiety, like holding a stress-relief squeeze ball while singing, or getting surrounded with pleasant aroma of your personal favorite (vanilla, lavender etc.) When we have any performance opportunities, inviting familiar faces like our families, friends, or any of our loved ones as audience definitely helps!

Feed off of the energy of the crowd and use the adrenaline for positive energy. Don’t look at one person. Sing to the back row and look over their heads to avoid becoming self conscious. Frowns may not be about you. Someone may be having a bad day. If leading worship, you must first become a worshipper and the focus is on what message you wish to convey.