Before you begin a performance, it is a good idea to go through some kind of warm up routine. This will help loosen your muscles and help you relax, as well as getting your blood flowing and helping to focus your mind for the performance.
The first steps in any warm up routine are usually breathing and stretching exercises. Start with the breathing exercise explained in Section One: Breathing. Then do some gentle movements and gradually stretch more as your body begins to feel more flexible. The next step is to sing some sustained notes using an open vowel sound such as ah. Gradually move your voice around higher and lower pitches and then sing a couple of scales. The exercise for moving between registers (sliding between octaves) in Lesson 9 is particularly useful. Next try some exercises using various vowel sounds, such as the one given at the start of Lesson 7. The final stage is to sing a verse from the song you intend to begin the performance with. Include any physical movements you normally use when performing the song. This should get you in the mood for the performance and make you keen to get out there and begin.