In this episode, Mark tells the story of how he coached legend Steven Tyler through performance anxiety immediately before going on stage.
It was a hometown gig and he wanted it to go down special.
You see, the size of audience or type of venue doesn’t matter – the source of our anxiety is the pressure we put on ourselves.
What is anxiety?
Mark explains that performance anxiety can be anything from butterflies to full-blown terror.
All performers get some form of it, so you are in good company.
Some form of nervousness is actually a good thing. It shows we care about the outcome of our performance.
In fact, it shows you have the heart of an entertainer.
The teacher became the student
Mark Baxter was a prolific performer in his twenties who was fully at home on stage, but learning and performing on a new instrument decades later drove him right into a wall of stage fright one night.
He had to apply his own teachings on himself to move ahead.
Mark gives you his carefully developed – and proven – steps to take control and be your best.
Sing Better is the podcast that let’s you power up your vocal development with legendary vocal coach, Mark Baxter. Mark gives you the insight you need on becoming a singer, earning money, vocal health, gear and technique. In this season, Mark will cover performance anxiety, song arrangements, how to stand out as a singer, and all the best and worst singer habits as well as how to get your former glory back after a long break from singing.
Mark Baxter has worked as a coach with Aerosmith, Journey, Goo Goo Dolls — and many others. He is the author of The Rock-n-Roll Singer’s Survival Manual, creator of The Singer’s Toolbox instructional DVD, Sing Like an Idol instructional CD. Mark operates vocal studios in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and online via Skype.
