Goal setting for singers – beginner level
One of my passions is the art of setting goals. I see goal setting as the process of transforming a dream into a tangible plan. We could also say, the process of taking responsibility for our own dreams! But often goal setting is something we get excited about at the beginning of the year and then we forget about them as the year passes. So today I want to talk about goal setting for singers – beginner level.
Goal setting for singers – beginner level
Goal setting is an art in itself. It does make you more creative as it puts to work those creative muscles instead of just living by default.
There are a couple of things to have in mind when setting goals for singers – or for anything else!
First, make sure that you don’t set goals too big. For now! Remember that this is beginner level. You can get much better at manifesting with practice, as it happens with everything else. If you are a beginner at goal setting and you set a huge goal chances are you are just going to get frustrated. If you are a beginner singer, maybe don’t set a goal such as singing in the Super Bowl within a year.
However, you should definitely stretch yourself a little. My magic formula is “comfort zone + 1”. This means that I like my starting point to be what I can already do comfortably (things that probably were a challenge in the past!), and stretch as much as I can without creating a future frustration.
The challenges of goal setting for singers
The main challenge of goal setting is not to figure out how to get from A to B, but mainly dealing with the emotions that arise. Given that goal setting takes you out of your comfort zone, you will experience uncomfortable emotions. Often people give up on their goals and dreams just because they want to avoid the uncomfortable emotions that come with it! For example, if your goal is to sing in an open mic for the first time, you might get blocked just by thinking about how scary singing in public can be. But if you go ahead and do it anyway, and you overcome that fear, singing in public will be a more enjoyable experience next time and become easier with every performance.
So really is about getting comfortable with experiencing uncomfortable emotions! Just imagine how many things you could do if you were OK with feeling your uncomfortable emotions. Not only in singing!
But we are at goal settings for singers beginner level now. So don’t stretch yourself too far that will make you feel overwhelmed and give up. Stretch yourself enough so you can cope with it.
Goal settings for singers – aligning your goals with your purpose
Another reason why we fail at achieving goals is that our set goals are often not aligned with our purposes. In fact, in most cases, we don’t even know what our purpose is.
Clarifying your purpose
A purpose is different from a goal. Your purpose in singing has to do more with something bigger than yourself. It is more about the impact that becoming a singer will have on your life and in the world around you. A purpose is less tangible than a goal. Some examples of singing purposes:
- Becoming a singer to deeply heal a trauma caused in childhood and that way have a better life experience with yourself and those around you.
- Becoming a singer so you can share music-making with your family and friends and that way feel that you connect and belong.
- Becoming a singer so you become better at expressing yourself and that way have a better, transparent relationship with your loved ones.
Getting clear about your purpose with singing is crucial to having a meaningful singing path. And of course, purposes can change over time!
Setting your goals
When you are clear with your purpose, now you can start your goal-setting session. Make sure that your goals are aligned with your purpose. For example, if your purpose is to sing to connect better with others, joining a choir would be a good goal to work towards.
Goals are more tangible than your general purpose. Your goals should be measurable. Some examples of singing goals for a given period (for example a year) could be:
- I want to record a demo this year
- I want to work on expanding my range this year
- I want to book my first paid gig this year.
When you are setting those goals you don’t need to know how to achieve them yet. Just set your goal and don’t let your mind stop you. And I say this because chances are that as soon as you set a goal your mind will tell you things like “there is no way we can do that”, “we never did that, therefore, is impossible”, “we won’t be able to cope with it”, “but how are you going to do that?”, etc.
See the problem there? Another reason why goals fail. Have in mind that our mind is wired to protect us from danger. Which is amazing and very functional! Just not great for goal setting for singers.
Creating a strategy
So, instead of letting it ruin your dreams, you can use your amazing mind in a different way. Set your goals and instead of letting it tell you how impossible things are, ask your mind to help you figure out HOW to achieve those goals. What are the steps you can take to make it happen?
If your goal is to have a paid gig, for example, it is to be expected that your mind will tell you that’s impossible if you don’t have anything ready yet. So figure out the steps you need to take. For example:
Goal: Having my first paid gig this year
Strategy:
- Figure out a repertoire
- Practice my repertoire until I nail it
- Find a guitar/piano player that can accompany me
- Organize rehearsals with guitar/piano player
- Record demo of two of the songs
- Send demo to friends/family with good musical taste (if possible, musicians) to make sure that the music doesn’t suck!
- Research all the restaurants in my area that are hiring musicians
- Send demo to all restaurants in my area
A template for you!
Finally, if you are all ready and inspired to set up your 2022 goals, go ahead and grab my template – goal setting for singers – beginner level.
Enjoy the process and I wish you to achieve all your goals this year!
I help people to develop their voice and singing from a holistic approach. I teach vocal lessons in person in Auckland, NZ, and online. Also stay tuned for my new online singing programs!❤️
My greatest passion has always been the voice, music and energy arts.
My personal and artistic journey has led me to understand that the voice and the body are fully connected, and that includes not only the physical body but also the mental, emotional and spiritual body.
Through holistic vocal training you not only learn to become a great singer while taking care of your voice, but you also improve your mental and physical wellbeing❤️
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