Performance hypnotism is not just limited to athletically motivated sport orientated individuals. Since it does involve those in the arts, it can be utilized to increase better performance both in sports or entertainment. I have spent a great deal of time learning the art of teaching voice to various types of singers. One of the most difficult is the male tenor. Not only does the individual have to lose dependency on the lower register; he must also learn to correctly blend the lower register with the upper register to produce a harmonious sound. Enrico Caruso, the great tenor, would do this by depicting in his mind the color of the notes as he approached high "C". He described this as a gold color. All singers must mimic those who have learned the act of placement in the tonal resonators. Singing is learning to master the skills necessary to easily and smoothly manipulate tonality without a break in the voice.

First, a singer must learn to self-image his approach to the notes. In order for me to be able to have a smooth flow of voice I must first use my imagination. It is important to determine what my goals are before self-imaging my approach and flow of the music. To be effective, one will have to create a habit that is consistent with the quality of tone desired. Focusing is very important and an internal frame of reference is more realized in singing than in any other art. One mistake can cause a disaster. Also, one must be raptured into the music that involves precise timing when singing. It is amazing that singers have a second sense of timing when singing; they seem to know exactly when keyed in to singing the correct note at the exact movement. This is due to the fact of zoning recognition.

There has never been a time when a singer, mainly a tenor, doesn’t fear cracking a note. Hours of practice must be taken to assure this does not happen while on stage to prevent a misplaced note. One way is role-playing; one of the greatest popular tenors was Mario Lanza. Each singer will role-play himself into the energy of the singer. He mimics the breathing, the mouth movements, and the color of each tone. All great singers must have an intense desire to succeed.

My first approach is to learn to relax. Hypnotism doesn’t always mean a trance like state that impairs the person from their consciousness. To the contrary, a singer must be very much aware of his mental state and induce a quality of performance in his mind before the actual performance on stage.

I started out with closing my eyes and saying to myself to relax. I then took a deep breath and slowly released it. Like all sports, performance must have a controlled form of relaxation. Any swimmer that would tense up in the water would invariably sink. Everything in life should be learned and done in a relaxed state of mind with a great deal of energy reinforcing it effortlessly. This is why professionals look at ease when they work. It is all due to the conditioning of the mind first and then the body.

After relaxation, I counted down from one to five and I told my muscles to relax as my eyes close. With my imagination, I told my body to relax deeper and deeper as I continue to count down a staircase from ten to one. My mind was then free to recall and depict the training that I have had and can easily incorporate this into my mental routine of singing.

If all is well, I can then step into my image that is unclouded by doubts and fear and depict my voice resonating a melodious tone. Visualizing and hearing the sound and seeing the colors are helpful when one must attack a difficult phrase. Some people will call this a trance while others may call it a form of day dreaming. Regardless, any great artist or sports professional at one time or another has enacted their performance, even in their dreams at night. It is said that a person studying a foreign language will become proficient when one begins to dream in a foreign language. One can not achieve anything unless they can first envision the task that they desire to accomplish. Some people call this inspiration, but it is simply the ability to of the mind to create from its memories the desired results that the person intends to perform. This is an absolute truth in any art. Every singers sings his songs over a hundred times before he performs; he imagines what the notes and placement will be at the moment of attack and make it a conditioned response or Pavlov’s Response.

The excitement of the performance is rehearsed in the mind until its reality is made known in the physical world. As a singer, one can visualize the color of the tone that is pleasant and can be reinforced by merely telling his body the moment that his hands give a gesture or touch the diaphragm, that he can find extra support for his notes with confidence. Therefore, I simply tell my mind that both the mind and body are one and each supports the other at these moments of touch or gestures.

The squash exercise can be used to reduce conflict that I fear may arise in my mind. By first taking control of my thoughts by eliminating any barriers, I will control panic and tensions that can conflict with the flow of music. I then make a positive confirmation of the power of control that will be needed without hesitating by touching two places on my body. This allows the positive to dominate, or cancel out, the negative. This can also be done for memories that may suppress self-confidence and self-power.

Reinforcing these statements over a period of time and weeks, it will eventually anchor the assurance of my performance. A metaphor relating to my goal of having a flawless performance is a butterfly gliding effortlessly through a rainbow until it reaches a pot of gold. This would give me the relationship to the scale of notes that must be reached effortlessly with many different ranges of color until the maximum note on my high scale is reached with the bell ring of gold. The concept of the gold being at therainbow is related to the full richness of the quality of the belcanto bell ring.

I then will gradually count to myself to open my eyes. I allow my eyes to open with energy, well being, and rigor. I will then say to myself that I am refreshed; I am energized; I am positive. I can accomplish my task, as I am positive that the ocean waves will always reach the shores. I, too, will reach my goal.

With time and practice, I have found that this has helped me to accomplish my goal as a singer to the best of my abilities. Each person must learn to train the mind in order to train the body. In harmony, it is like a belcanto tenor whose voice fills the room with power and radiant beauty.

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