Are You in a Slump?

I've mentioned before that in some very distinctive ways, singing is an athletic activity. The muscles of the body that are used for singing need to be exercised until they are strong enough to "hold up" the voice... keep it on pitch, and handle those long phrases without gasping for air.

At the same time, there is a performance factor in singing which brings added pressure to look good and sound good, pressure, which for some new performers simply becomes too much.

Now this performance factor exists in athletics too, expecially in spectator sports such as baseball or tennis, (my two favs). Now let us say that a baseball player seems to be in a "slump"...isn't hitting, making a few errors here and there, the coach is actually tempted to bench the guy, and the crowd is starting to boo him/her. What is occurring?

Listen up singers, 'cause it happens to you all the time. It's called "ANXIETY"!

Anxiety is caused by many factors:

Factor #1 - Displaying one's talent for the first time in an important venue.

In baseball, this happens to rookies who are sent in to bat at a crucial time in a game, to a young pitcher who is expected to save a win for the team, and even to the veteran ace who seems to have lost his timing and power.

For singers anxiety occurs the first time they perform in public, or the first time they sing a song without having the lyrics in front of them.

In other words "FIRSTS create anxiety".

Factor #2 - Peaking too soon and the resulting expectation.

What this is about is simply this. In tennis, a player wowed himself, his coach, and the spectators with an awesome demonstration in the early stages of a tournament, and has attracted a great deal of attention in the subsequent match. Everybody is waiting to see how he/she tops the previous match...anticipating the same brilliance, which often, just never comes.

Singers will often choose a song that is so perfect for them that when they try it out in a class situation, or just with their teacher, it is sheer MAGIC!

Factor #3 - Our old friend, the Inner Critic, who is constantly whispering sweet, (or not so sweet) instructions in your ear as you perform.

This little "imp" is your history, your parents, yout teachers, your well-meaning friends and family who just DON'T GET IT...or YOU for that matter.

"Why do you wanna do this and humiliate yourself? Wouldn't ya just rather do what you're good at?"

Ever hear that from a family member?

I sure did...for years. And it made an impact!

A negative one that pops up every time you go out there. It happens to all performers in varying degrees.

You are not alone.

So the singer says he/she in in a "slump". But now that we know what is actually at work here, there is a way out, whether in sports or in music, or even in life, so follow these steps:

• Breathe deeply for about a minute, since the main manifestation of anxiety is hyperventilation.
• Change the internal conversation from "I'm in a slump" to something positive like, "I love what
  I do and I do it very well".
• Work on whatever element of performance needs to be replanted into your muscle memory.
• See a perfect outcome and focus on it in your mind.

Sports psychologists swear by these principles and they do work 99% of the time. The key is to focus on the positive, and steer clear of negative thinking.

It may require several minutes a day of quiet contemplation, and demands the necessary time and effort from you, but it's worth it, isn't it?