Public Speaking Resources for Musicians

Are you totally comfortable speaking to a group of people? Or does the thought of this terrify you? Maybe you are somewhere in between? Regardless of where you fall in this spectrum, it is important to continually improve your public speaking skills. Musicians find themselves in a number of situations where public speaking is important: introducing works to an audience, coaching an ensemble, presenting a masterclass, etc.  Everyone has a different level of comfort with public speaking, and it comes more naturally to some than others. But, I think most of us would agree that we can all stand to improve and grow in this area. Experience certainly helps, so it is important to take advantage of public speaking opportunities, especially if you would have the tendency to shy away from those situations.  Approach speaking with all the tools you have as a performer: prepare as best you can, don’t speak too quickly, and have confidence.

You can find many resources on this topic, and we have done some of the leg work for you and compiled some of the best articles here:

• The Musician’s Guide to Public Speaking | ArtsHacker.com
• The “I hate public speaking” Musicians’ Antidote | Angela Myles Beeching
• 6 Public Speaking Tips for Concert Musicians | MusiciansWay.com
• Public Speaking for Musician Entrepreneurs | Astrid Baumgardner