Sing Your First Solo
This article will explain to you how to prepare to sing your first solo, to perform and finish properly.
Contents
Steps
- Choose a song for your solo that you can sing with ease, fits your vocal range, and fits the occasion you will be singing this solo for. For example, if you will be singing this song at church and you have a high and low vocal range, you might want to sing Amazing Grace or How Great Is Our God.
- Practice, practice, practice while smiling. Keep practicing the song and smiling until you never want to hear it again, until you know it so well that you could just randomly start singing it in the middle of a large controlled group of kids (in a rehearsal or such) without a doubt in your ability to sing the song without any mistakes, and until you can sing it at a range of tempos.
- Use a microphone and a speaker system (such as a karaoke player) as much as possible. Avoid feedback (squealing speakers) caused by sound being re-picked up and repeatedly cycling through the mic and loudspeaker; so, face your karaoke player speaker. Get used to hearing yourself while singing with the mic. Get a longer cord so you can walk about a little, with the mic.
- Use a unidirectional mic that picks up sound only from one direction, and then face the loudspeaker, as a monitor-speaker is better than having the loudspeaker behind you.
- Avoid using an omnidirectional microphone (it picks up sound from all around). This type is useful for lower volume sound with acoustic music in a studio or on a sound-stage where speakers play in a separate soundproofed mixer/control room and/or audience speakers are far off to each side of the stage (and without any monitor speakers) to avoid feedback -- and performers might use cordless, in-ear monitors.
- Sing the song properly, whenever you get a chance (not joking around with the wording or tune), whether it is in the shower, getting ready for school, while brushing your hair, while playing cards, or even when you're on your way to school.
- Sing the song in good form in front of trusted people, such as a voice coach, your positive-friends and family. Avoid trying to impress jokers or wise guys. Doing plenty of this realistic practice can make it so much less nerve-racking when it comes to performance day.
- Ask your friends and family for their constructive criticism of your singing of the song you chose; smile and accept any criticism to help you. For instance: if someone says that you don't sing loudly enough, then practice singing louder (projecting) while continuing to sing the song properly (performing with a mic may not require loud voicing as the mic might be sensitive enough to pick up near whisper-levels, if that would be good in part of a song).
- Go back to your family/friends and re-sing the song for them, and ask whether you fixed what you did wrongly and whether there is anything else you still need to fix.
- If there were something else that needed fixed, then use similar procedures as used before to fix it.
- Continue to practice the song for yourself whenever possible, and sing to your family/friends occasionally, and any other possible trusted audience. Keep practicing, even if your family/friends said that everything was fixed.
Performance Day
- Warm up your voice, while smiling, with some vocal exercises such as humming, testing your vocal range, and other vocal warm-ups.
- Drink plenty water to keep your throat clear and hydrated. Try lukewarm water; it works best to keep your throat conditioned.
- Practice your song, but not too much today, without straining or pushing. Try to do some more in front of only your helpful family members and friends today, to ask whether you did a better job. If they say "Good job!" then congrats, but if they say, "It could use some work on ____.", then don't worry; just work on any issue mentioned.
On Stage
- Find one area across the back wall above the heads of the audience to look at throughout your performance to keep you from getting distracted.
- State your name, even if you were already introduced, and tell the audience what song you will be singing "for them."
- Smile! Smile nicely and appropriately. But, don't wear a pasted on fake or embarrassed smile or a never ending silly grin.
- Begin singing the song. On many songs you can start laid back and relaxed -- increasing the feeling and mood as you go. Then end up by building to a crescendo/a climatic high point. Often songs, such as ballads, do not fit that format.
- End the song; bow; smile, and after the crowd is done applauding, walk off of the stage with confidence and aplomb.
Tips
- Don't forget to warm-up you voice before you sing.
- Don't think about the past, especially bad experiences. Focus on the music and lyrics.
- Drink only water on the day of your performance.
- Make sure to look confident and happy (smile).
- When you are performing, forget about the audience and just do it like you have practiced.
- If you are nervous look out a window.
- If you are nervous, pick something like a spot or sign and pretend you are just singing to that.
- Pretend the audience is not there and get lost in the song . Alternatively ,you just pretend everyone you see is something familiar to you (like tacos) .
Warnings
- Don't take the constructive criticism from your family/friends personally, they are just trying to help you.
Things You'll Need
- Song to sing
- Lyrics to the song
- Microphone with speaker system (karaoke player) (optional)
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