6 ways to be resilient as a singer.

After I left the Broadway tour of The Phantom of the Opera, I was excited to be doing other projects after having toured for 2 years. 

I immediately started rehearsing for Guinevere in Camelot and spent several months in the world of King Arthur. It was a dream!

Then I came home.

Crickets. 🦗

First for a month. 🤨

Then another. 🫣

Then another. 😬

Then the panic set in. 😱

What now!?

It’s that period of time every actor/singer dreads. 

The dry spell. 🧟‍♀️

The time when you are working is easy. It flows. Life is good.

But how you handle the dry spells is what can make or break you.

I just read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver for my book club. It’s about a young man who faces unimaginable challenges, but manages to find the resiliency to keep going, move forward, and come out on the other side.

Very inspiring.

I was so moved by this character, I’ve been thinking about it all week, thinking about being resilient and how important it is if we want to achieve our goals, if we want to unstuck ourselves, if we want to fulfill our dreams.

If we want to be successful.

➡️ Resilience as a singer is the crucial skill we need.

It’s about the ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks, both on and off the stage. 

Singing, as we know, involves a great deal of vulnerability, and having resilience helps you navigate the emotional, physical, and mental demands of this craft.

And honestly we can apply this to any part of our lives, it doesn’t have to be just about singing. 

It can be having resilience as a parent, in our day to day ups and downs, in our jobs, our health….

So what is resilience really? What does it look like?

HERE ARE 6 DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE RESILIENT AS A SINGER:

#1 Handling Rejection and Criticism:

Every singer faces rejection or criticism at some point, whether it's from an audition, a review, or feedback of any kind. 

Resilience means learning how to take criticism constructively and not let it define your self worth. 

Instead of letting a bad performance or a negative review diminish confidence, resilient singers use those moments as opportunities to improve and grow. 

If you’re in A Course in Joyful Singing, you know that this work is about learning how to align with your “good inner coach” to coach you through these moments rather than succumbing to your negative inner voices telling you you are a failure.

#2 Overcoming Vocal Blocks or Health Setbacks:

Vocal health is a huge part of being a singer, and setbacks like vocal strain, illness, or even voice loss can be mentally and emotionally difficult. 

A resilient singer knows when to rest, seek help from vocal coaches, and practice proper vocal techniques to recover. (As in doing those SOVT exercises!) 

They don't let these challenges completely derail their progress but instead find ways to work around or learn from these obstacles.

#3 Staying Motivated Despite Challenges:

A singer’s journey is never linear. There will always be ups and downs. 

Resilience involves maintaining motivation even when things aren’t going well, when you have dry spells, when gigs are scarce, when the reason for singing has shifted, when you notice changes in your voice, not letting those changes derail you from your practice. 

This means finding ways to stay passionate, finding ways to stay inspired. 

It means staying connected to your good inner coach to find that inspiration, to find what feels good for you.

#4 Dealing with Performance Anxiety:

Stage fright is totally normal. Resilience involves developing strategies for you to cope with anxiety. 

I have a WHOLE list of ideas in my blog page.

The goal is to not let nerves take over but to channel that energy into a powerful performance. 

AND not let fear keep you from moving forward. 

Being resilient is about facing those fears and and doing it anyway.

#5 Adapting to Changes in the Industry:

The performing industry is constantly evolving. Resilience is about adapting to those changes, whether it’s learning to use new technology or navigating shifts in how singers are expected to market themselves. 

Resilient singers see change as an opportunity to grow rather than something to fear. 

ALSO it’s important to note: WHILE staying true to yourself in the process!! 

It’s about not letting those changes in the industry keep you from expressing your creativity however that looks for you.

#6 Maintaining Consistency:

Finally, resilience in singing means being consistent. Showing up for yourself, showing up for your craft, USING YOUR VOICE. 

It’s about being devoted to your artistry. 

Finding ways to flip the meaning of singing to positive ones if there are negative associations coming up. 

For instance, if singing has become a chore because it’s become about getting a gig or pleasing others-

Can you find a way to flip that switch to one where it’s FOR YOU. It’s about feeding you. It’s about nurturing you. It’s about expressing YOU.

---

So resilience as a singer is about navigating the full range of challenges and setbacks with strength, determination, and flexibility. 

By aligning with your good inner coach voice you can recover from difficulties but also to learn and grow from them. 

This week, think about how do you think resilience has played a role in your journey as a singer? 

Or, if you haven’t had personal experience, do you think resilience would be a major factor in moving forward, in your journey as a performer, as a human? How could it help you more?