It’s fascinating to watch an audience as they watch a performer. You can learn an awful lot about what works on stage by the audience’s reaction. Charlie Sheen was booed off the stage here in NYC recently – and rightfully so.

As a vocal trainer, I spend a lot of time as an audience member at my students’ gigs. I watch the audience as much as I watch my student. My job is to suss out what is working on stage, what is not and why. I get a lot of info from mingling with the crowd. You can too.

Several years ago, when I had just developed my contemporary vocal technique, Sing Like You Speak™, I was doing a gig and in the middle of a song, I thought, ‘Oh NO! I’ve been talking to my audience all night and not singing!’ (panic sets in) But then I thought, ‘Well the audience has been clapping and having fun – responding to the songs, so I guess I have been singing.’

I doubted the easy simplicity of my own vocal technique!Truth is I was singing to well and so naturally that I need to check in with the audience to make sure they were hearing song.

You too can use an audience as a way to learn about what they respond to, what thrills them, what make them clap with admiration. You can also learn what makes them look away or take a drink or start talking to the person sitting next to them.

Notice how different types of music have different audiences that jazzed about different aspects of performance and music. Go the gigs of people who sing the same type of music you do to watch and learn.

For more tips on singing like a pro, visit Sally Morgan at SingLikeYouSpeak.com

About the author

Sally Morgan is a professional vocal trainer with over 30 years of experience. Sally is also the creator and author of SingLikeYouSpeak(TM)!

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