I have a competition against older kids...help!?

Question

im 12 and playing a duet with my 16 year old sister in two days. the competition cadegory is only defined by 1) it has to be a duet and 2) the age max. is 16. so i could be up against two sixteen year olds!! not fair. so im really nervous and afraid that i'll let down my parents (btw: very musical parents, very high standards!!), my teacher, and my sista--who acts like she doesnt care, being the awesome sista she is, but i know she does. have you ever been the underdog like me in the situation but managed to fight ur way to the top? personal stories and tips for restoring my nerves and confidence - i get AWFUL stage fright - would help! cuz if i dont land the top 4.....im dead! thanks

Answer 1

I would just do your best. If the age max is 16, then you could be up against 9yearolds too.

Try not to stress out too much, and don't listen/watch the people before you. I'm on a competitive dance team, and we ALWAYS do worse when we watch the number before us.

Answer 2

i know you care about winning and everything, but you shouldn't just be in it to win it. if you aren't having fun, why do it?

i'm in marching band, we have like, 4-5 competitions every year.

we don't always get first place, but we do sometimes, and that always awesome!!

but when we get 3rd or 4th, or even like 7th place, we still feel great, because it was fun performing, but we do go home feeling, "gosh, we can do so much better."

there is no better feeling in the world than getting butterflies before a performance.

that bit of nervous-ness makes me feel like i'm at the right place, at the right time, and i'm doing exactly what i should be.

but if you get to the point where you can't even perform because you're nervous, just remember this:

"it's MY time to shine. nobody is going to take this moment away from ME. I"M going to be amazing, and THEY will love ME."

sounds selfish, but it's not. it's the truth.

also, tell your sister to take it more serious, but remember to keep it fun.

have a great time sweetie! you will do great!!

Answer 3

aww.. poor u. (not sarcastic). it shouldn't be this big a deal, maybe u need to talk to your parents and tell them about all the pressure they are putting on you to do well. just remember that it doesn't REALLY matter and u should do great.

Answer 4

Sing like it's just you and your sister alone. Don't think about the audience, just pretend they're not there. Of course you'll have to take it seriously but I suppose you can just pretend you're together and your sister is in a serious mood and wants a good rehearsal.

Your parents really shouldn't get angry at you for losing if you do your best, but hey, when these types of parents make up their mind that it's perfection or nothing, there's nothing to do about it I suppose. I'd know because my mum refuses to accept that I've gotten anything less than 1st place at school and is VERY quick to tell me how bad I'm doing if I get anything less.

Also, don't think of yourself as the too young, underdog in your awesome sister's shadow, because you're better than that! Might be up against two 16 year olds? Who cares? THEY have to perform in front of an audience and their teachers and their parents as well. Are they nervous about it? YES! Of course they are! It doesn't matter if they're 16 and they look professional and act confident, because deep down they're just as nervous as you and still have to remember to sing this note here and that one there and keep your timing right and all the same things you do, meaning if you have a chance of stuffing up, THEY have a chance of stuffing up. They don't have any advantage! And I mean that too even though they're older, because people who are younger generally have smaller expectations of them from judges, because it wouldn't be fair for a 12 year old to have to do the exact same quality performing as a 16 year old. Being 4 years older, that's a 3rd of your life they've had to do extra training! If you do your best, ignore everyone besides you and your sister and ENJOY IT, you'll do fine. To improve your performance, practice with your sister often, eat well and make sure you get about 8 hours of sleep a night, ESPECIALLY the night before the competition. If you don't get sleep you'll be tired when you perform. Don't think about the competition when you're in bed either or you may end up being wide awake all night worrying. Relax, there's nothing to worry about.