How To Sing With Confidence

As a voice trainer, I’ve had, on occasion, a student ask me to help them sing with more confidence. It sounds like a reasonable request. Yet, discovering exactly how that would manifest itself is sometimes difficult to discern. With a bit of proding, I get to the answer, “I want to sing better.” Better? How? I finally get to the root of the request: “I don’t want to look foolish, like I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t want to be embarrassed.”

Building confidence in a singer is possible but requires a solid foundation. On today’s episode of the Voice Science Podcast, let’s talk about it. 

Thanks to Google dictionary, we have the following definitions of confidence: (1) The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust; (2) The state of feeling certain about the truth of something; (3) A feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s abilities or qualities.

Think of confidence as a foundation of trust. Trust comes from having tested and proven the worthiness of something. Before we start constructing, let’s unpack confidence a bit more.

Sometimes the best way to identify something is to view it in opposition. What is the opposite of confidence? Doubt. 

Doubts are a completely normal part of being human. When we are in doubt about anything, we are missing, per the definitions above, a feeling of reliance, certainty, and self-assurance. When missing, confidence is nowhere to be found.

Understand that doubts present themselves in two ways: friend and foe. Don’t be surprised when they appear. Don’t beat yourself up for having them. The correct approach is to test them to see if they are foe or friend. There are doubts that put one in a weakened state. Doubts that discourage. Doubts that are paralyzing. These must be avoided and I have some suggestions for dealing with them soon. In contrast, there are also doubts that serve to forewarn. These should be investigated as they might prove to protect. The “good” doubts often awaken us to take proactive steps.

The reason we seek confidence in singing is multifaceted. As stated earlier, singers desire confidence because they want to be proud, not embarrassed, of their singing. Confidence promotes courage and propels a singer towards opportunities.

I think there is another great benefit to confidence. It is liberating. To perform with confidence allows the performer to give more of themselves. The most transformative performances are those where you sense the performer hasn’t a doubt or worry in the world. There is a transparency about them. Doubt throws up a shield and closes off the listener.

So, let’s build a singer’s confidence from the bottom up, keeping with the building metaphor. Any structural engineer knows to start with a foundation. The purpose of any foundation is to provide a solid base upon which the rest of the structure is built. Only the fool would knowingly build upon an untrustworthy foundation.

What is a singer’s foundation? It’s know-how. It’s having a working knowledge of how to achieve what the music is vocally requiring. This means an ability to understand and demonstrate basic causality in singing. It is impossible for me to sufficiently stress the importance of the cause and effect dynamic in singing. A singer needs to know what they want, how to do it, and, having done it enough, the ability to replicate it. This occurs through skill acquisition. Some would call this technique. Whatever word you choose, it is fundamental for confidence in singing.

But there is another dimension to a singer’s know-how. Coupled with mastery of singing skills is a commensurate level of competent musicianship. Songs are constructed out of the raw materials of musicianship: pitches, intervals, scales, chords, etc. A working knowledge of these materials will make the singing of songs easier, faster, and more fun.

As I have detailed, building confidence requires know-how, both vocally and musically. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of these. They form the foundation of confidence. Assisting singers with these is the reason VoSci exists. We have an ever-expanding array of resources to help you through the process.

In addition, here are some practical tips for fortifying and protecting your confidence.

 

Readiness: I’ve done my best to be fully prepared.

Remember earlier when we talked about doubts? Perhaps nothing serves to attack one’s confidence more than the paralyzing voice of doubt that asks: “Are you sure you did enough to be ready?”

In my experience, the best way to silence this doubt is to be proactive. It’s all in the word: being ready in advance. Waiting to the last minute regarding any aspect of the performance puts the singer in a vulnerable state.

If you are to perform something new, give yourself ample time to learn it. Measure the amount of time it is going to take to embed it and start early. Set reasonable bite-size goals. Also, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Know your limits.

It also requires physical and mental preparation. Being healthy requires a preventative mindset. Are you well-fed, well-exercised, well-rested, well-hydrated? Reaching an optimal state happens in advance, not the day of the performance. 

On to the more mundane, there are other essentials you need to take care of and not leave them to the last minute. Do you have acceptable performance attire? If not, shop early, and not the afternoon of the performance. What about your shoes? No matter how much you may like them, think twice about buying new shoes the day of and wearing them at the performance. Do you need a haircut? Do it a week ahead. 

Readiness means taking steps to eliminate the possibility of doubts creeping in due to poor planning.

 

Moment: I alone can meet the need of the moment.

Anyone who performs knows the voice of the doubt that whispers: “Who are you to think you can do this?” This is common and should not be unexpected, but it can be silenced. To illustrate, I’ll tell a personal anecdote.

I remember one of my first times singing as a soloist with orchestra and chorus in a performance of Fauré’s Requiem. I was petrified. My conductor/friend could see the fear in my eyes. He looked me in the face and said: “I can see you are anxious. Just remember: the concert is going to happen and you are the only person I know in this entire building who can walk out there and sing those solos. You are here precisely for this moment in time. We can’t do this without you. Let’s go.”

His powerfully focusing words drew my attention away from doubt and I lived to tell the story.

 

Sacrifice: You may have to say “no.”

Being a performer requires discipline. This means there will be times, for the sake of the quality of your performance, when you have to make sacrifices, particularly as it relates to recreation and entertainment. As much as you may want to go out with your friends the evening before a performance, the best choice is to stay home. It will be tempting to try and convince yourself you’ll just drink water and be quiet, but the odds are you won’t. You’ll exchange water for a margarita and quietness for a bit of karaoke. You may be perfectly fine the next day, but it will serve to give voice to doubts about your condition walking into the performance. As the saying goes, “better safe than sorry.”

Along with the practical steps above, here are some motivational ideas with tremendous focusing potential.

 

Risk: What level is right for you?

All singers take risks. Of course, the first risk is simply getting up in front of people. Others venture far further and take on the vocal equivalent of an extreme sport. Why do they do it? It’s breathtakingly impressive. Good examples of this would be certain forms of opera, and many forms of rock and pop singing.

Whenever the level of risk rises, so can the potential for troubling doubts. The higher the vocal demands, the greater the risk. Think of the high-wire act at the circus–with no net. Higher risk levels require considerable know-how. To attempt high risk singing without a solid foundation of know-how is to welcome doubting thoughts.

The reason some singers undertake high risk is for the daredevilish thrill of it and to the delight of adoring fans. It is a decision that has to be made soberly.

Singing to impress is not for everyone. What every singer should be motivated to do, even the risk takers, is to sing to inspire.

 

Storytelling: I have something I must tell you.

Singing is storytelling. Embracing this does wonders for focusing a performer’s thoughts. It creates a shield of protection from invading doubts and any unwanted distractions.

Storytellers love taking listeners on a journey of discovery. They can do so because they’ve traveled there before and they want to take the listener there. The storyteller has a level of intimacy with the story the listeners don’t. To the storyteller, there is such significance to the story that they must tell it.

Singers are called to the same task. There is a reason, a need, a purpose for singing this song at this moment. The need to transport the listener is of utmost importance.

The power of storytelling is it causes the singer to focus their thoughts towards the needs of the listener and away from themself.

 

In summary:

The greatest threat to a singer’s confidence are voices of doubt.

If a singer lacks confidence, it could be due to a weak foundation.

Building confidence in a singer starts with the construction of a foundation of know-how, both vocally and musically. VoSci is here to assist you in both.

In addition, the foundation of know-how, confidence is fortified, and protected from intrusive doubts, when we follow some practical steps.

Lastly, having a clear motivation during a performance has a wonderfully concentrating power that deflects distractions.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s episode written by Timothy Wilds and presented by Drew Williams-Orozco. If you are looking to develop your skills and build confidence in your singing be sure to check out VoSci Academy and all of the resources available at voicescience.org.

Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Until next time, keep singing, and singing smart.