During this lovely three day weekend, I decided to get my choir blog post out of the way. However, I was having a hard time coming up with something to blog about so like most people who are looking for answers in the 21st century, I turned to the internet. While searching, I fell upon an article written about why most people in choirs can sing easier in front of a bunch of strangers than in front of friends and family. The article (link attached below) was written by a fellow choir-man, Chris Rowbury, on his blog From the front of the choir. His main point is that when singing in front of a group of close friends and family it is more nerve-racking because they know you, can connect with you, and can judge you on a more personal level then strangers can. For those of you who are in AP English Language, Rowbury claims it is a paradox; the paradox being our friends and family love and support us no matter what we do and will forgive any of our mistakes while performing, whereas strangers just come to be entertained. However, we find it harder to perform in front of the people supporting us. In my opinion it has a lot to do with the judgement and how you view your performing abilities. When you sing in front of a crowd full of strangers you will probably never get to know them on a personal level so even if they do judge you, you most likely won't know. Being able to perform in front of a close knit group of friends and family also has to do with your self worth. If you are confident about your voice and are able to accept compliments well, then you probably don't/won't have a problem performing in front of people you see constantly.
http://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2011/11/why-its-easier-to-sing-to-1000.html
I agree with Chris Rowbury in that people sing better in front of people that they do not know. I have noticed this, in choir as well as dance, which I used to do when I was little. Now, whenever we have choir concerts, I prefer that my family does not sit in the front row, because then I can see them easily, without obstruction from the lights. Usually, even though I know that they are out there, if it is dark in the audience, and I can not explicitly see my friends or family, I do not have a problem with singing or dancing in front of them. I noticed this when I was about four, because I did ballet, and when we had performances, I would not worry that much because I could not see anyone in the audience. Rather than dancing in front of a bunch of people, it seemed like I was fairly alone (with the exception of the other dancers). Even then, I knew that my family would be out there somewhere, but I could not focus on that because I would get distracted and not remember what to do. I think that it is odd that even when you know something, if you can not see that someone is there, the performance seems less nerve wracking. It would be fascinating to understand this as well. I had come up with my own idea about why singing/ presenting in front of a friend is harder, but it is really interesting to see that it has been proven why.
ReplyDeleteI actually had this exact conversation with someone just a few days ago! Ever since I began singing about two years ago, the thought of performing in front of my family and close friends has petrified me. I find myself more at ease singing an entire five-minute song in front of a hundred total strangers than merely belting one note in front of my family. This article explains my previously thought irrational fear. After reading the article, I agree with the psychology and reasoning behind Chris Rowbury’s theory completely. I wish, however, that this knowledge might kill the fright I feel before performing in a show where I know my friends or family are in the audience.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this brings about another interesting question. With consistent practice and exposure, a person can overcome nearly any fear (according to my old psychology professor). Already I find performing in front of strangers not a very big deal, so, if I regularly practice singing, dancing, and acting in front of my family, will I eventually conquer the jitters completely? This is not talking about the adrenaline a show typically gives an actor or actress, but about any nausea it could bring. I feel this could be a very helpful tool for any performer, and it might just be something I will have to try out.
For me this is really a true statement. I am more comfortable singing in front of people I don't know instead of friends and family because I don't know what they are going to say to me afterward. I always ask for feedback so I can improve however I am so paranoid that people won't be honest and try to spare my feelings or that they will be harsh. The truth is that this is not uncommon for singers, actors, dancers, and even painters get these jitters in front of their families.
ReplyDeleteSo where does this fear come from? One theory I found was that it comes from the desire to please, impress, and even live up to people who inspire us. Or possibly comes from the human nature to compete with others where we have a desire to be on top and we are afraid that we won't finish on top so we don't try. (Wow that got really psychological!) Just something to think about.