Performance Psychology & Environment

Our thoughts can be affected by our current environment and by historical events in our lives.  When working on performance psychology we focus on the affect our mind and emotions have on our voice.

Our voice is affected by our thoughts,
our emotions and our vocal technique

Just as the introduction of ‘unhelpful’ tensions in the body affects our ability to sing with ease, so do ‘unhelpful’ tensions in the mind.  If we feel we are struggling to perform in a particular environment we may start to feel restricted and inhibited, and that will show in our voice. By letting go of restrictive thought patterns, maximising the comfort of our performing environments, and reducing the power of our inner critic, we allow our mind and sense of self to become bigger.

By increasing awareness of your psychological and emotional state,  you can learn to:

  • identify ‘unhelpful’ dialogue in your inner voice
  • replace thinking habits that restrict vocal freedom with new habits that maximise freedom of expression
  • identify and carve out the best possible performing space to meet your needs
  • stay centred and ‘in tune’ with yourself before, during, and after a performance (irrespective of the performance environment)
  • reduce performance anxiety and feel more confident

 When our body & mind
work together to support our voice,
we maximise our ability to sing
with ease & expression

When the body and mind work together to fully support the voice, we maximise our ability to sing with ease and freedom of expression, and we enable ourselves to reach for and realise more of our potential.

Emma Pooley

Teaching Singing in Marlborough
www.emma-pooley.com