Nerves and Practicing; The way I find most effective

The method I find most effective, is practise. Knowing your song perfectly enables your body and mind to fall into routine and take over during the performance, which can save you from any distractions or untimely mind blanks. There are many ways to practise a song, but the way I find easiest is to utilise what I already have access to, a computer, internet and the lyrics. I begin with learning the actual melody. Find a good clip of somebody singing the song either on YouTube or iTunes etc. and listen to them singing the song while following the lyrics. Take it line by line and then verse by verse, alternating with and without the aid of the recording. Eventually you will find that you know the melody off by heart and can easily sing along.

Next, locate a backing track (again on YouTube, iTunes or professional recording studios) to discover if you can sing it without the aid of the original singer. When you can do this perfectly, begin learning the words. If you have followed the previous steps, you may find you basically know the lyrics off by heart, and it won’t take too much time to know them perfectly. This is just one method of practise, there are other ways to learn your piece, but these may involve additional costs or the possession of an instrument.