Our Top Five Tips for Performing on Stage

Performing on stage in one of the greatest experiences a singer can have! There is nothing quite like singing a song you’ve been working on for months in front of an excited audience. While practicing technique and memorizing lyrics are of utmost importance it is also important to remember to think about how you present yourself on stage! 

When we spend most of our musical time in the practice room it can be easy to forget that others will be looking at us while we perform, not just listening! In this article we’ll go over our top five tips for performing on stage!

1. Our Hands – What Do We Do With Them? 

One of the most common questions about performing on stage is what do we do with our hands?!?! Hands in any social situation can be a challenge! Do we put them in our pockets? Hold our phone? Awkwardly rub them together? 

Luckily for singers, when we are performing we almost always use a microphone. For a slow song a great performance tactic is to use the microphone stand to your advantage. You can use one hand to hold the microphone and the other to grab the middle of the mic stand, or also place it on the mic. This can be a great way to anchor nerves as well!

For more advanced singers, you can still leave the microphone in the stand but try to use your free hand to help express the song! There are countless examples of stars using this method to great effect. 

If you’re feeling confident and the song is upbeat you can remove the microphone from the stand and move around the stage! Just be careful if you do! (for more microphone tips see our article here). 

2. Moving Around The Stage 

Moving around while performing on stage can be a great way to connect with the audience. Whether you are walking from one side to the other or incorporating some dance moves, try your best to keep your body and face towards the crowd! Much like actors in a play, we don’t want to put our back to the people we are performing and shut them out! 

Beyond this, before you decide to be mobile on a stage do a quick look over for any obstructions such as cables, monitors and instruments. Safety comes first, you don’t want to trip and fall!

3. Our Eyes 

There is a reason some people say that eyes are windows to the soul! The looks we give to an audience can convey more emotion than any other movement. Though it is sometimes difficult to see with the bright stage lights, try your best to look out to the crowd rather than down at the floor. 

It may seem natural to close your eyes during an emotional song in order to get more into the lyrics but this move tends to again shut the audience out. Nine times out of ten keeping your eyes open will create a stronger performance.

4. Our Facial Expressions 

Our facial expressions are also a great way to convey the emotions of a song. It is our human nature! By just seeing the look on a person’s face we can infer what they are feeling. 

As singers we can use this to our advantage and really dig into the look we are giving to the audience at pivotal moments in a performance. So much passion can be conveyed by putting our hearts into our facial movements! 

5.  Using Our Bodies 

Getting our bodies involved while performing on stage can also be a fantastic way to engage the crowd. Especially during upbeat or intense songs! Beyond dancing, we can jump like a rocker, spin and rise like James Brown, or drop to our knees like Elvis. 

Use everything you’ve got to transmit those feelings! 

Closing Notes

Just like finding your own voice and style of singing, performance requires practice and experience to figure out what feels best for you! Don’t be afraid to try different things each time you hit the stage.

Eventually, you will find the physical actions that feel most authentic to you! For one-on-one performance coaching from one of Toronto’s best singers contact us today!

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