Singing is an art. However, being naturally gifted with a good voice is just one part of becoming a successful singer.

To transcend the boundaries of “good” and become an “exceptional” singer, you need a tremendous amount of preparation.

You need to prepare for all types of singing challenges, be it a singing class, competition, or auditions. 

What exactly should you do to prepare? 

Singers need to be prepared both mentally and physically.

Preparing mentally involves building confidence to perform, learning the lyrics and tunes and getting rid of apprehensions. Practice the tune and words in your mind repeatedly before a performance or audition. 

There are four mental practice stages – calm your mind, focus on the song, warm up and listen to your own voice carefully. Play the CD of the song continuously and keep singing mentally, especially when you participate in competitions. 

Physical preparation involves training your voice, practicing breath control and having enough strength to face an audience. You need to ensure that your throat is healthy. Drinking warm water before singing hydrates the vocal chords and your voice does not become dry or break when you sing. 

Mixing a few drops of honey in warm water helps in keeping your throat hydrated for a longer time. Before auditions and performances, you must avoid caffeinated drinks, aerated beverages, chocolates, dairy products and oily foods. 

If you are a dedicated singer who wants to make a career in music, it is important to practice every day for a few hours; this ensures that your voice is always prepared to perform.

The way you prepare also depends on what you are preparing for. 

How does preparing help a singer?

Your time in music classes is limited, perhaps to one or two hours.

When you go to the class well prepared, you can make the most of the time with your teacher. Before you go to class, make sure that you know what is going to be taught that day. Learn about the day’s lessons in advance so that you can grasp the information better. 

Before you go for auditions or competitions, you must be thoroughly aware of the rules, such as time limits, preferred genre and others. If you are required to sing a capella, you must be prepared for it since a capella is very challenging to sing. 

Being well prepared gives you a lot of confidence, which naturally enhances your level of singing.