A young woman I teach went off to sing her first professional "session" today. I have no doubt it will be the first of many! Although she is an accomplished and confident singer, she was shocked how her nerves played havoc with her body and mind, before she even left the house. She called to ask me what to do. I thought I would share my advice... Firstly - Understand what's going on: Nerves, adrenaline, butterflies, nausea, shakiness, wobbly knees, shallow breathing, needing a wee.. These (charming!) symptoms are all natural responses to fear, excitement or other emotional arousal. They are part of the body's primitive "fight, flight or freeze" response to danger, signalled by the amygdala in the brain. Oxygen pumps to your muscles, so you're ready to run and react in super-fast time. Great for saving you from a stampeding woolly mammoth, but singing a jingle for a TV commercial? Not so much. (Alas, the amygdala doesn't k
...now take a nice, deep breath and relax your shoulders...