Hey STM,

I just thought I'd add something that's a bit off the wall. I've had an anxiety disorder for all my life, and even the thought of singing would often be paralyzing for me, for some reason that seemed to be one of the main fears of my life : singing in public.

There is something very personal about singing, it reveals something personal inside you (especially when you start out) and it is that revealing that leads to the anxiety for me.

Basically, how I've come to unwind the problem is that I now understand that the fear is a survival mechanism that your mind kicks off when you feel vulnerable. Once I understood that, it was slightly easier to ignore. Once you've got your head around that then try and take all the pressure off yourself by viewing every session as a chance to have fun, rather than a chance to improve your voice.

Then you just build up as much experience as you can and after a while the fear will be down to a manageable level.

And if that doesn't work, just get drunk beforehand.