I haven't really wanted to say this on here, but I've been struggling for the past year with audition anxiety, mostly when it comes to singing (it's not really a problem with acting or dancing). I used to have a lot of confidence but my continually low self esteem and a lot of rejection has ruined that, which I feel is related to my feelings of inadequacy at my college, but that's another story. Now when I start singing in an audition situation, I start shaking and I have trouble breathing and supporting. I just don't know what to do to combat this, it's really been tearing me apart and leading to a lot of disappointment. Even when I feel completely warmed up and well prepared the moment I am asked to sing I fall apart.

I just don't know what to do. Has anyone else struggled with this? How have you overcome it?

I've had the same sort of nerves before singing exams at uni ... in my last one, I was trying so hard to breathe properly that I skipped about half a page of my lied. Oops. (Luckily I had a fantastic accompanist!)

Anyway, my singing teacher suggests practising breathing (and other technical things) separately. Stand in front of a mirror and lip sync, imagining that your voice is doing everything right. Meanwhile, take breaths where you would if you were singing the song, concentrating on keeping the breath low, the larynx where it should be, the soft palate raised, etc. The theory is that if you practise a song like this as often as you practise it with the voice, the good breathing habits should become your autopilot. I also tend to get the shakes when I'm nervous, but I find that if I can breathe properly, it stabilises me well.

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to singing and highly self-critical -- I suspect you might be the same way. Something that I've always known, but only really "got" in the past six months or so, is to sing "in the moment" in performance. If I fudge a run or crack on a high note early in the song, well, schmeh. That bit's over, there's nothing I can do to change it, and I'm not going to carry my mistake with me and jeopardise my ability to rock the rest of the song. Plenty of time to kick myself once I'm off stage! I try really hard not to listen to myself critically in performance, otherwise I get an annoying commentary in my head. Instead, I really try to focus on the text and emotion my character is feeling. If I've prepared well, my technique won't suffer.

Honestly, I've never walked away from a performance or an audition thinking I couldn't have done better. But recognising where you can improve helps you to grow as a performer.

I hope some of this helps. You're so talented, Maggie, and you deserve the best shot possible when walking into auditions.

I don't really have any words of wisdom, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm the same way. Cold reads are my strong point, and though dancing is my weakest part in theatre, I've become pretty much immune to making dance mistakes during auditions, since they happen so often. Singing, however, is always the most nerve wracking, which, as you mentioned, is scary, because of how much the voice is effected by nerves! I always feel like I'm way better in lessons than I am outside of them, which is super frustrating. All I can say is that you aren't alone, and I think what I always try to remind myself in any audition is that the panel isn't here to judge you; they want you to be the answer to your casting problem, and they don't want you to fail. I also always find myself the most nervous whenever I start thinking, "Oh my God, I need to prove this; I MUST get this role," so I try to turn off thoughts about that, too. I also am going to take advantage of more open mic opportunities, because I figure the more comfortable I am singing in public (though I am much stronger in performances than auditions!), the better my auditions will be. My voice teacher always tells me just to take a breath and sing and to not over analyze it ahead of time, and while it is SO much more difficult said than done, it is also some of the the best advice I've received as a singer (or performer, for that matter) so far. So just close your eyes, know you are prepared, and turn off those insecurities of yours. And most of all, remember you're not alone!