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Ever wonder why you can practice for hours, sound great in the practice room, and still be frustratingly hit or miss on stage? Join performance psychologist and Juilliard alumnus/faculty Noa Kageyama, and explore research-based “practice hacks” for beating anxiety, practicing more effectively, and playing up to your full abilities when it matters most.
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When you think of practicing your instrument, what are some of the first words that come to mind? Are the words “fun” or “playful” anywhere on your list? 🤣 For most of my life, practicing felt an awful lot like memorizing my multiplication tables. A lot of mind-numbing repetition, and not much fun. We know that mindless drudgery doesn’t make for very effective learning, of course - but what is the alternative? What might more playful practice actually look like? Enter today’s guest, Graham Fi...
Ever worry that excellent performance might not be “good enough?” And maybe you've assumed that aiming for perfection is a safer bet? You’re not alone, for what it's worth! But it's always interesting to get some actual data on this sort of thing, so a team of researchers conducted a series of studies to see if striving for perfection had benefits beyond aiming for excellence. The results might surprise you. Get all the nerdy details: Does Aiming for Perfection Actually Hurt Performance...
There are a lot of reasons why someone might decide to quit music at some point along the way. But could performance anxiety be one of them? Indeed, performance anxiety can feel pretty uncomfortable! And it’s one thing if we still sound pretty good on stage regardless, and have a positive experience of performing overall. But when we get nervous and sound like just a shell of ourselves in performance, it could make us wonder why we keep putting ourselves up there... So I was intrigued by a 20...
Worrying is never much fun, but it’s especially not fun in the leadup to a performance or audition. And even more so when we get stuck in a “worry loop” and can’t seem to get ourselves out of it. It’s a little like the time my family visited Paris when I was a kid, and my dad got stuck in the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe. I don’t know how long we drove around and around, but I do know that I fell asleep at some point, and when I woke up, we were still looping around. 🤣🥲 So what cause...
Are you a regular napper? Or maybe not such a fan? Either way, given that today is National Lazy Day, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at a couple studies which suggest that naps could play a significant role in accelerating the learning of physical skills. Check out the episode for all the nerdy details about how long of a nap might be best and who perhaps should not try this. References Milner, C. E., Fogel, S. M., & Cote, K. A. (2006). Habitual napping moderates motor per...
I never got all that serious about playing the piano, but I did take lessons for a number of years and remember the many challenges I ran into as the number and density of black dots on the page increased. Mostly I remember how dependent I was on my vision. On the violin, I didn’t look at my fingers or music much at all. But on the piano, I was constantly looking at either the music or my hands (I know, I know, I probably shouldn’t have let myself do that...). But have you ever wondered what ...
Whether learning a new sport or playing an instrument, traditionally, we're often taught to start by building up some fundamental skills first, before we start adding in expression. But there are others who argue that we should start with expression from the very beginning, rather than waiting. Who's right? Which ultimately leads to better performances? Get all the nerdy details, including the instructional videos used in the study right here: Notes First or Music First? Which Leads to Better...
It can be pretty uncomfortable to play for others and ask for feedback. I mean, putting ourselves out there to be judged and evaluated is never much fun, right? But what if there's a different way to approach this? A way where you come out of the experience feeling less judged, and more supported instead? With concrete and useful advice that you can act on to get better, rather than a list of things that sound good or bad to stew on and feel crummy about? A Harvard Business School study ident...
Ineffective practice can be discouraging on so many levels. For one, practicing for time or repetitions is not much fun. And negative practice experiences can make students want to avoid practicing, or assume that they aren't very talented when improvement is slow or inconsistent. But what if your students were already more savvy and capable practicers than they realize? What if we just need to create the conditions for these abilities to emerge? Get all the nerdy details (and download the fu...
“If I didn’t have the harp, I wouldn’t be me.” Internationally renowned harpist Judy Loman remains an active practicer, performer, and teacher at 89 years of age - and still clearly enjoys and loves what she does. So how does one maintain motivation and a sense of joy in making music through life’s ups and downs, good and bad practice days, and peak and not-so-peak performances? In this episode, you’ll hear the five pieces of advice she would offer to an aspiring harpist (they’re applicable t...
We learned last week that having more to say expressively with the music we’re playing could increase the likelihood of experiencing more flow states in performance (here, in case you missed it). But this study looked at a bunch of different strategies and classes that were spread out over 6 months. Are there faster ways to help students play more expressively? Like, what about the sorts of things that our teachers did for us when we were students? Like demonstrating certain passages in lesso...
You know those really good days on stage? Where you’re totally present and in the moment, at one with your instrument, locked in on the music, not worried at all about what anyone might think, and just have this feeling that everything is going to work out, because playing just feels so easy and effortless? Would be nice if we could have more of those kinds of days, no? 😅 Are these good days a function of simply practicing more? And making sure our technique is totally secure and solid so we ...
Effective practicers tend to be more motivated, empowered, and persistent, whereas less effective practicers tend to feel more helpless and lower self-efficacy. But what do they actually do differently? One of the big differences between better and worse practicers in a 2021 study was the time spent in "non-playing" practice activities. Like, those periods between the playing and repetitions where our fingers aren't moving and making sounds come out of our instruments. And what exactly ...
You're probably heard the quote "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." But what do you think? Both play some role of course, but which do you think is more important for achieving success - innate ability or effortful training? What would you say if I said that you might be fooling yourself? Where even if you think that you believe effort and training to be more important, deep down, you might actually favor natural ability over hard work? Are we all biased again...
Cellist Yumi Kendall has been the assistant principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2004, serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, co-hosts the Tacet No More podcast with bassist Joseph Conyers, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. In this episode, we explore… Yumi’s early musical influencesWhat effective practice really means (and looks like)How Yumi balances competing demands and sets practice goals...
We all have a voice in our head, that can sometimes get pretty loud and awfully critical. Ever wonder where this voice and all that negativity comes from? And why it can suddenly become more critical at certain times more than others? A 1990 study provides some intriguing clues! Get all the nerdy details right here: How to Keep Your Inner Critic From Getting the Better of You More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only...
There's a famous quote attributed to Heifetz (or any number of different folks) - that if I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it. So does that mean that we can't afford to take any days off, if we're truly serious about our craft? And what does it mean if we start to feel burned out and stale? Well...it could be my imagination, but I swear I once saw a video in which Heifetz said that he always took one day off from practicing a wee...
Ever wonder why it's so difficult to do the same thing twice, in exactly the same way? Like the same exact crescendo or the same exact speed of vibrato? Do we just need to practice more? Or is there something else involved? Turns out our brain isn't wired for this kind of consistency. But that's actually a good thing! And it has some interesting implications on how we ought to approach practicing too. Get all the nerdy details here: Your Brain Isn’t Built for Consistency - Here’s How to Make ...
I think the last couple decades have seen a growing change in the music community, where there's a greater openness to talking about nerves and certain mental health struggles. But one area that isn't yet being talked about so much is trauma. What is trauma? What "counts" and what doesn't? How does this happen? How does it affect us? How can we know if a student has experienced trauma? Could we unintentionally (and unknowingly) be causing trauma? To better understand trauma and its intersecti...
When it comes to motivating students, musicians, or even ourselves, we all wonder: is it better to reward effort — or call out mistakes? It turns out, both approaches can work… but they lead to very different kinds of learning. Get all the nerdy details here: Reward vs. Punishment: Which Leads to Faster Learning? More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice cra...
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The idea that sometimes overthinking can hinder our learning process really resonated with me. It’s fascinating how our brains can sometimes work better on autopilot, allowing us to absorb information more naturally. I believe these effective techniques to stop overthinking can also be useful: https://studycorgi.com/blog/how-to-stop-overthinking-tips-and-exercises/
This podcast episode offers valuable strategies for reducing worries and improving focus during practice sessions. By addressing common distractions and providing practical techniques for managing stress and enhancing concentration, it can be a game-changer for anyone looking to practice more effectively. Additionally, incorporating 5-minute mindfulness activities can further boost focus and emotional regulation: https://studycorgi.com/#five-minute-mindfulness-activities
Great post! I just wanted to share this recent article on the learning styles myth by Jarrett: http://www.wired.com/2015/01/need-know-learning-styles-myth-two-minutes/ and this link about “Problem With the Learning Styles”: https://ivypanda.com/blog/the-problem-with-learning-styles-and-how-to-use-it-to-your-benefit/
#good
Thank you for this. It really helped me think in a more positive way