My turn! Performance tips for the budding bard By Ceara ni Neill

I love to sing, to play, and to hear other people do the same. I also like other people to listen and pay attention to me. The nice thing is that a lot of people see it as that I’m paying attention to them, because I’m performing for them. Some say, " I could never do that. It’s hard. I can’t do that." If they only knew how easy it really is! There’s really nothing to it, but it helps to keep a few key things in mind:

Never be afraid. Your audience isn’t out to get you, they want to hear you. If you were watching someone else perform, would you be nervous? The only difference is who everyone is looking at. People see you every day of your life, so a performance is no reason to be self-conscious.

Memorize your work. Even if you have the music/words/whatever in front of you, memorize it anyway. The more you know your work, the more you can communicate with your audience, and the more the audience will appreciate it.

Project your voice. Think of your voice as a ball, and you’re trying to throw it to the person farthest away from you. It’s a lot easier if you’re standing instead of sitting. You can do this without actually shouting if you open your mouth wider than your normal speaking range; it will feel funny at first but you’ll get used to it very quickly. This is a trick taught by professional singers.

Communicate. Whenever you command attention of an audience, you are there to communicate something to them. If you are telling a story, don’t recite it as if you were reading a book. You really want people to know about the story and what happens in it. If you are singing a song, the song tells a story. If you are playing an instrument, your story is musical. Music is just like any other language, except that it’s spoken in notes instead of words. Let your music move your audience, don’t just play the notes.

Body language is another form of communication. You may be a little more limited with this if you’re playing an instrument, but not at all with singing or storytelling. Get into it, "talk with your hands".

When I perform "The Froggy Song", I try to act out the story in the song as if I were a one-person play. When one character speaks, I stand to one side, and when the other character speaks, I take a step to the other side. When I tell the story about Shamus meeting the brownies in the haunted wood, I step, dragging one foot and pretending to shovel dirt during the part where the brownies make him drag the mysterious bag and dig the grave.

Of course it isn’t always appropriate to involve silly behavior, but a grand, flashy bow or curtsy to come before and after your work always has its place. When you involve not only your voice but your entire body in whatever work you are performing, your audience will love it. And when you’re done, you’ll be met with a glorious round of applause. And above all, enjoy what you do! J