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Four Tips for Great Stage Presence

By Professor Sound

Great performers understand that music is SEEN AND HEARD. But you don’t need a million-dollar light show to have great stage presence. Here are four tips for developing great stage persona to go with your music.

Confidence Is Key

Our music lessons focus on teaching kids how to play music, but that’s not enough to develop complete musicianship. For this reason, we also spend time working on stage presence. The most important thing you can do when working on stage presence is, project confidence! Here are tips to think about in the weeks leading up to performances to help our musicians be their best selves onstage.

#1: Practice Until You Know It Cold

Regardless of instrument, the best way to develop stage presence is to get to the point where playing the song flows naturally and doesn’t require your complete focus. The best way we know of to get to that point is practice, practice, practice! If you’re a singer, that means memorizing your lyrics, the melodies, the length of the guitar solo, where to breathe, etc. For instrument players, it means knowing your part until you are completely comfortable playing the song at your own ability level.

#2: Dress the Part and Move Around

It’s true – musicians dress differently, especially when onstage! It’s OK to dress outrageous – crazy hats, shoes, jackets and pants definitely add to the show. If you’re playing in a show with a theme, you can dress the part! Whatever you wear, be sure it’s something that lets you move around and play your instrument comfortably. This means well-fitting clothes are a must. Most live performance venues make wireless microphones available so the singer can move around. For guitar and bass players, a great practical tip is you should loop the cable up and through your guitar strap before plugging it into your guitar or bass – this way, if you accidentally step on the cable while walking around, you probably won’t accidentally unplug your instrument. You can also invest in a wireless transmitter and eliminate the cord connected to your instrument entirely! Keyboard players and drummers have a fixed place onstage, but that doesn’t mean you have to stand still - work on dancing in place while playing the keys, and twirling your drum sticks in between beats.

#3: Try Not to Look at Your Instrument

If you spend some time watching videos of bands playing music live onstage, you should notice that they don’t just stand there staring at their instrument! Playing music is tactile - the instrument is still going to be there, even when you’re not looking at it. In our music lessons, we have mirrors available, so our students can spend time performing in front of it. We want our students to understand what they look like. When practicing at home, spend time singing or playing your instrument in front of a mirror. Study what you’re doing, and look beyond the basics like posture or instrument handling. It’s ok to be a bit of a diva as you yourself some questions. If I was someone in the audience, would I want to watch what this person is doing? Do I look like I’m having a great time? Here, the goal is to be objective about stage presence without becoming too critical, as well as learning how to make eye contact with your reflection as you perform, without making mistakes.

#4: Show Emotions That Make Sense

When performing onstage, you want to look as if you’re feeling the emotion that’s in the song. If it’s a happy song, smile. If you’re playing metal, look angry. Singing a ballad? look like you’re in love. One technique that always works especially for singers and guitar players is closing your eyes – to the audience, a performer closing their eyes will look like you are lost in the emotion of the song, which is a good thing.

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Our end-of-season student showcase! Due to COVID-19, we couldn't hold our show at a club venue, so instead we got the kiddos together to play their songs at the school, and they did an absolutely phenomenal job! Tthis 70-minute video features the best work of all our students from all three shows - Decade of Destruction, One-Hit Forget-Me-Nots, and Parastorm, plus our Opening Act and MAD Rock programs. Enjoy!

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Doing Well by Doing Good

By Professor Sound

This article talks about some of the things Ready Set Gig! does to support education and community in Henderson and Las Vegas, and how to get in touch with us to talk about how we can help you achieve your fundraising goals. 

Partner Spotlight: ACS Bark for Life

In 2018, when Doug and Jason started Ready Set Gig! to offer theory-based performance music education for kids and adults in Henderson, they committed to make our brand of MUSIC EDUCATION AMPLIFIED a force for good in the Green Valley / McDonald Ranch community, and for Henderson as a whole. Doug is on the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society Bark For Life event in Southern Nevada, and they’ve both seen how community pride exploded in Southern Nevada during the #VEGASSTRONG movement. They wanted our music school to take part in that.

Partner Spotlight: Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation

Shortly after we opened, the team at the Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation led by Emily Smith approached Jason about delivering music education onsite at their school. Some of our team members already had experience working with NBCF’s Beep Baseball program, so it was a perfect fit! This past January, we kicked off our 3rd semester of partnership to manage NBCF’s music program, and we are so proud of our NBCF kids and everything they’ve accomplished, from learning to play musical instruments through ear training to performing live onstage at NBCF-sponsored events.

Partner Spotlight: March of Dimes Nevada

In the spirit of building community, Doug and Jason also decided early on to offer free Open House events throughout the year, featuring live music by our students, free music mini-lessons to visitors, and light refreshments. Through the Open Houses, we became acquainted with Cheryl Chitupatham and her amazing parent volunteer team for March of Dimes Nevada. Jason’s own family has experienced firsthand the challenge NICU babies and their families face, and were grateful for March of Dimes giving our students the chance to perform live at a recent March of Dimes event. Last December, we also partnered with March of Dimes Nevada to offer a community drop-off location to gather donation items for NICU babies, which many of our students’ families contributed to as well.

Support for Parent-Teacher Involvement

Our community involvement extends into support for education of the kids in our area as well. We periodically hold Parent’s Night Out events to support the parent-teacher associations and organizations for schools in the community. Through this work, along with matching gifts from an anonymous donor, we’ve raised hundreds of dollars each year to support the initiatives of parents in support of their children’s educations at several area schools, including Bartlett Elementary, Lamping Elementary, and Explore Knowledge Academy.

We Can Help You, Too!

We welcome inquiries from other 501( c )(3) organizations doing good in our community as well. If you’d like to talk to us about having a Parent’s Night Out to support your school, or other ideas about how you think Ready Set Gig can support the community, please email us at [email protected].

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Music Theory the Fun Way!

By Professor Sound

Music is the greatest feeling in the world and has a language all its own. In this article, we talk about the benefit of learning music theory the fun way, alongside with ear training as you master singing and playing musical instruments.

Performance and Music Theory Go Together

We’ve said before many times that Ready Set Gig is not a conservatory – it’s a fun place to learn how to play your favorite music on vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keys/piano, drums, and DJ. We also believe music theory and performance go together like all those great partnerships throughout human history – from salt and pepper to peanut butter and jelly, from Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello to Ash Ketchum & Pikachu. And we believe our official theory guide, called Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People by Dr. Toby Rush (found online at https://tobyrush.com), is the best way for kids to get exposed to music theory. If you’re still asking why you should learn some music theory while learning to play an instrument, here are some reasons to consider.

Our Theory Guide is Fun!

Dr. Rush’s guide is written in graphic novel format, and covers all the basic elements of music theory you need to know. From pitch to tone, notation to meter, and everything in between, it’s all here. Plus, Sparky the Music Theory Dog is adorable (WOOF!).

You Need a Little Theory to Write Songs

Yup, it’s true – if you ever want other people to play your music, you need to know how to write it down. And the way to do it is with those little dots with the sticks on top called notes, lined up in rows of lines called staffs, which form “songs.” Modern songs have different parts, called intro, verses, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, and outro. Not every song has all the parts, but it helps if you know what all the parts actually are, because it will improve your play and get you to the point where you express your own feelings through the songs you write yourself!

We Benchmark Everything We Teach

Our benchmarks also work hand-in-glove with Dr. Rush’s guide during our private lessons. We have a list of standard benchmarks for every instrument we teach. Think of the benchmarks as a roadmap for student progress. This way, you always understand where your children are heading in our program, along with what it takes to get there.

You Need Music Theory to Escape Middle School

Yup, also true! Our theory guide is very closely aligned to the music theory concepts being taught at Henderson middle schools, such as Bob Miller and Del Webb, so we can help your children achieve their academic goals as well. Our program is especially helpful for kids in elementary school to get a jump start on learning music theory, in order to prepare for success.

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How to Approach Singing Lessons for your Kids

By Professor Sound

Your child has told you they dream of singing like Billie Eilish, Adam Levine, or Taylor Swift - now what? Here’s some advice on questions you can ask when looking for vocal lessons, as well as an honest look at the pros and cons of joining a music performance program like ours vs. other options, like hiring a freelance vocal instructor who comes to your home, or joining a choir. 

Questions To Ask When Looking For Vocal Lessons

Henderson, NV offers singers and their families many different options regarding specialty music schools for singing lessons. As you consider visiting area music schools, questions you can ask about include: 

What is the travel time for this school to my house?

What style of music is taught most here? Just rock, or other genres, too?

Does the program focus only on ear training, or is theory also involved? 

Will my child be provided materials like sheet music to learn their parts?

Are singing lessons available on days and times that are convenient? 

Does the school offer a free trial lesson?

What is the policy regarding rescheduling a lesson?

If the instructor doesn’t connect with my child, can I change easily?

How well-maintained is the musical equipment at the music school?

Is the music school itself clean, open and welcoming, or dirty and dark? 

Are the instructors employees of the school, or independent contractors? 

Our Music School, Our Approach

At Ready Set Gig, we offer singers a chance to learn songs across many contemporary music genres (including Billie Eilish!), including rock, pop, hip-hop, and country. We offer a theory-based performance program that includes ear training as well as written sheet music. Our weekly private lessons last 45 minutes, and we offer a free 30-minute trial lesson for prospective students. We perform concerts at club venues about every 8-12 weeks as well. Since the focus of our program is on performing contemporary music, our student singers and vocalists get a chance to sing in 4- or 5-piece bands on chosen songs, under direction from a trained, professional musician. Our singers are encouraged to develop their individual vocal and singing talents, even as they perform with other kids around the same skill level. The 1-on-1 lessons focus on theory topics like pitch, range expansion, improving tone, and learning the songs. Rehearsals focus on learning to sing in time with student musicians on other instruments. All our staff are regular employees of our school who are background-checked. We do not use contractors. We use a list of vocal and singing benchmarks so parents can track progress, and we partner with noted professor Dr. Toby Rush at the University of Dayton to sponsor his high-quality, readable theory guide as a supplement to our other instruction for our students.

Comparing Other Options for Singing Lessons

Some parents consider private freelance instructors to teach their child how to sing. There’s certainly lots of singers out there! Private instructors may come to your home to give the lessons, or you may go to their home. Cost is per lesson, usually paid in cash, and you can cancel anytime. There are pros and cons to the convenience and low cost of a private in-home instructor. If you have to furnish the lesson space, you need to have a comfortable space in your home to do so. You also assume the risks related to inviting the instructor as a guest into your home. Also, private instructors usually don’t hold recitals, which is a missed opportunity for young singers, since performance is a great motivator to practice! Finally, keep in mind that, like any instrument, singing requires commitment and practice – one or even a handful of vocal lessons won’t be transformative. You have to stick with it!

Considering Choir for Young Singers

Henderson has many options for singers interested in choir at their school, church, or other civic organization. Choir can help singers build confidence by performing live, without as much pressure to perform well individually. Singing in a choir improves your child’s timing as a singer, and usually doesn’t cost much. But again, the approach has its pros and cons. There might be an audition process, which can be off-putting, especially for new singers. Also, choir practice is not the same as a singing lesson. Your kid usually won’t get one-on-one attention during choir rehearsal, unless he or she is doing something wrong (i.e., missing transitions, singing off-key, etc.). Private singing lessons can supplement choir for a more complete approach. Just remember that choir itself is a vocal style that emphasizes everyone trying to blend their singing together into a single voice. Choir is fun as long as you understand that belting, soloing, or standing out as an individual singer is not the goal and focus.

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How Music Recitals Give Kids Confidence and Overcome Stage Fright

By Professor Sound

We believe the biggest benefits of music education come from playing recitals, and give our kids many opportunities to perform onstage. Here are our thoughts on how performing recitals build confidence and encourage kids to practice, as well as what we do when our students experience stage fright.  

Anticipating Reward Drives Practice Habits

Playing an instrument offers many educational benefits, as well as improved hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Students gain important life skills from developing strong practice habits by playing a musical instrument as well. The motivation for why kids want to learn to play an instrument sometimes goes unstated, so we’re spelling it out here. No, we’re not talking about money or incentives parents might create to inspire a child to practice their instrument at home. Instead, we believe that being the center of attention during a performance is itself a huge motivator to practice. That feeling of anticipation in the weeks and days prior to the show is what inspires us to practice and get better. And after we hit the stage for our show, that sense of accomplishment is the biggest reason why we go back up there over and over again!

How to Overcome Stage Fright

Sometimes, students become more anxious about the recital than we expect. All performers have experienced stage fright to some degree at one time or another. At Ready Set Gig, we believe the root of stage fright is the mistaken belief performers sometimes develop that the show must be perfect, or bad things will happen. Nothing could be further from the truth! Our approach for dealing with stage fright and anxiety is as follows:

Work on sounding good, not perfect. Anxiously striving for perfection, then feeling sad when we fall short, is at the heart of stage fright. Every great performance has flashes of brilliance as well as mistakes, but one thing is certain - everyone in the audience at our shows will love that you put yourself out there. We’ve put on a lot of shows at Ready Set Gig, and we haven’t seen a single one yet where the audience didn’t cheer and clap wildly for the kids onstage. Your family is rooting for you and will love your show no matter what! 

Demystify the process of stage performance. We rehearse the music as we will play it onstage. If a student sees over and over again how we will play the music, the routine will build familiarity. Later, we remind our students that the live show will be just like the rehearsals, so if they start to get anxious, just think back to how we did it during rehearsal.

Focus on purpose, not people. We encourage our students to think about what their songs actually mean. Whether it’s about social change or having fun with your friends, the song always offers something special that inspired the person who wrote it. We ask our students to put themselves inside the songs they play. If playing the song onstage becomes difficult, the student can refocus on the song’s message, and lose themselves in the performance. This approach often helps students forget the audience is even there! 

Adopt an affirming and positive stage persona. We work with our students to develop stage persona through soothing self-talk, clothing choices, stance, posture, and even makeup. We encourage our students to imagine what the applause at the end of the show will sound like, and how confident it will make them feel. We talk to our students about the power of positive thinking, by repeating thoughts like “I am going to do great at the show this Saturday” and “I am proud of how much I improved in the last 10 weeks.” We even surf the web and YouTube for images and videos of musicians wearing great outfits onstage! By developing affirming and positive stage personas, our students can become their best selves and overcome stage fright.