I watched American idol this last week and was so disappointed in hearing all of the men.   You wonder how those singers could have made it to the big stage for the final 24 out of all the thousands of singers.

And then of course you have to remind yourself, they are all nervous as hell!  A nervous that you can’t predict, and can’t prepare for.  I know I have blogged many times about nerves, but watching idol this last week reminded me of what the nerves can so terribly do to your sound.  They effect your singing in three ways: breath, body and mind.

Imagine that you walk on to a huge stage with cameras, American Idol judges, and the knowledge that the “world” is watching you.  How might that make you feel?  Panic, is a good word.  So, if you feel panicky (think back to a situation where you did), what does that do to your breath, your mind, your body? Now imagine trying to sing through that!

Nerves and your breathing:

Your breath becomes extermely shallow.  You can’t take a deep long breath while you are panicking.  Well, good singing relies on good breath control.  If your “breathing mechanism” is not working properly,  meaning your air is unable to properly come in to engage your abdominal wall which then should be opening your back and keeping your larynx from raising  so that the sound can come out free yet supported, if you can’t get that breath, then your sound becomes limited.  Sometimes to half or less.  Which means that your range and the end of your phrases are compromised.

Nerves and your body

When you are nervous, you shake.  Well, if you shake when you are singing, you can increase your vibrato to a flutter, your hand trembles holding the microphone, and your face can wince uncontrollably.  What is so awful about that as well is that you are aware that it is happening, even though you don’t want it to happen, and it has never happened before.   So then rather then letting go into a song for the performance of a life time.  You are spending a lot of energy trying to cover up your nerves and look natural doing so…

Nerves and your Mind

I watched a lot of blank looks on the singers faces. A lot of them just looked like they were going through the motion of being there.  The nerves sent them out of there body for a crazy experience while their bodies were on auto pilot trying to get through the experience.

I have blogged many times on nerves with suggestions for what to do about nerves and tips on controlling them, but when it comes down to it, preparing for such an intense ride such as American Idol may be impossible. Rarely does anyone go from such normalcy to such a crazy spot light in life.  Every week, their bodies should get used to the shock of it all and begin to calm down.  Hopefully they become so busy and focused that they start forgetting to be nervous.

Next time you feel nerves at a performance or audition, think of what the American Idol singers are going through, that may help you feel more normal!

Sing well!

written by Ariella Vaccarino- creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!.

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