First Time Tips

1. Choose a song you have an emotional connection to, not necessarily one you think you ought to sing. If you like the song and it has meaning for you, this will come across and you will make a better connection with your friends in the room.

2. Your main focus in singing is telling a story. Spend some time with the lyrics and get an idea of what the song is about. You will make a better connection with the group if you know what emotions you want to portray in your performance.

3. Focus the energy on your friends. If you need to look at the monitor for lyrics, don’t keep your attention there the entire time–look up and at the group as often as you comfortably can.

4. Eye contact is important. If it’s uncomfortable to make contact for very long, scan the group. Looking at different parts of the room every few seconds will make everyone feel included in your performance.

5. Don’t obsess on the mechanics of singing. Your friends would much rather hear a good story teller with a less-than-perfect delivery than a really good voice with no connection to the song or audience.

6. Don’t strain your range! Use Voicebox’s key-shift feature to drop or raise the music into a key that works for you.

7. Last but not least, have fun. The more comfortable you look (even if you don’t feel comfortable on the inside), the more the group will root for you and the less likely they are to notice any less-than-perfect moments.