Nervous!

So if you guys go onto Youtube and look up "Iowa All-State Choir 2012" you get a variety of videos from last year's all-state performance. My personal recommendation is the "Skip to my Lou" or "Battle Hymn of the Republic". However, this blog as I said in my "About Me" page is about me. So if you look at the video for "Veni Sancte Spiritus" at about the 2:15 mark and look up in the top left you will see your favorite blogger rocking it out in all his glorious choir dorkiness. I hardly even recognized myself when I watched the video, but there I am.

One thing you guys might know about is how intense the auditioning process is. You might be thinking "how hard could it be, look at all the people there?" and I would understand that. It's hard to realize though that that is probably only about a fifth of all the people who auditioned. Everyone who even gets to come audition is representing some of the best singers at their respective schools. It is a lot of work, memorization, focus, and nerves. The whole process makes you as nervous as a mice who sees a big old cat sitting right in front of it. Why am I talking about this now? Well the auditions for the 2013 Iowa All-State Chorus are this Saturday and even just thinking about it right now makes my heart race and my mouth go dry. I have been working on and drilling this music into my head ever since I went to ISU for an All-State Camp in the mid-summer. Me and my two auditioning partners Quinn and Mckayla have been synchronizing and blending the best we can to create the most beautiful sound.

I'd like to talk to you guys about my way to deal with nerves. No one wants to be the girl who got nervous and forgot the lyrics to the National Anthem at the NBA or MLB game. So how do I cope with stress? I prepare and prepare and prepare and practice and practice until I know the music like I know my own name. Only when I know I can sing it exactly the way I want to can I feel even slightly comfortable or secure going into the audition. Even when you prepare and practice you still feel nervous, so you just have to try your best to let the music relax and focus on all the things you've been working on. It is the hardest thing in the world to have fun with and accentuate the music while you are auditioning, but you have to do it. I also try my very best to establish routines. Routines make you feel at ease. Whether it's the Olympic sprinter who does a certain pre-race stretch routine or me standing outside the auditioning center shaking everything out it helps make things feel normal.

Nervousness can actually be a great thing. It pushes you to perform better and do things you didn't even know you could do. It is important to learn how to not let your nervousness paralyze you. Find a routine and prepare for the big events, whether a test, audition, performance, or big game, and try and let that nervousness work for you instead of against you. Thanks for reading