How to deal with audition nerves

Why won't my voice come out at auditions?

Does your throat feel like it's about to close up?

Do you feel that your voice always lets you down?

Don't worry - it's perfectly natural! Most singers don't realise that the larynx (or 'voice box') isn't there to make sound. The main function of the larynx is to stop food going down into the lungs. Have you ever swallowed a crumb and felt the powerful reflex cough? That's what happens when the larynx doesn't perform its job properly!

In normal operation, the larynx closes down when we swallow. It also closes down when we do hard work - when we lift heavy objects, for example.

Unfortunately, it also starts to close down when we feel nervous - at auditions, waiting in the wings for a big entrance, approaching passages with high notes. All these are 'triggers' that can make the voice close down.

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How do I stop my voice closing down?

As with most things in nature, where there's a problem, there's also a solution. Understanding why, how and where the voice closes down allows the singer to recognise the sensation of constriction and deal with it.

Estill Voice Training™ can explain precisely what happens in the voice as a result of these constriction triggers - and how to prevent and overcome it.

Control your nerves - and your voice

As a Certified Master teacher of Estill Voice Training™, Andy Follin can help you recognise and solve problems with constriction - meaning you'll never have to worry about an audition again.

Andy is a professional vocal coach, not a school teacher, pianist or singer giving a few singing lessons in their spare time. Unlike a lot of voice teachers, Andy does not insist on long-term tuition, where students have to attend regular lessons, repeating the same exercises until their voice improves. You can attend as often as you like, but there's no compulsion to attend every week or every fortnight. In fact, many students only book sessions every 4 to 6 weeks.

Estill Voice Training™ is known for producing quick results. Quite often, Andy finds that long-standing problems can be fixed in the first few lessons. At your first session, Andy will give you an assessment of your abilities and draw up a plan that ensures you get to where you want to be, as quickly as possible.

If you're ready to take your voice to the next level, book a lesson with Andy today (see bottom of page).

Andy runs his studio from St Helens, so is ideally located for students in the Liverpool, Merseyside, Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire areas. Please check out the separate pages for students from Liverpool, Merseyside, Warrington, Widnes / Runcorn, Wigan, Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales.

For those unable to travel to the studio, or who are based overseas, Andy is also happy to teach online via Zoom. During the 2020 lockdown, Andy was able to continue teaching in this way to provide full service to his clientele. For more information on the equipment needed for an effective Zoom lesson, please check out the Online Lessons page.