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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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Do you tend to play with your eyes open? Or do you sometimes close them? Ever wonder if there might be any performance benefit to performing with eyes closed?Turns out there might be - in certain circumstances.Get all the nerdy details here:Is It Better to Perform With Eyes Open or Closed?* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together...
I remember my teacher saying to me quite early on in my studies, that her job was not to tell me what to do, but to teach me how to teach myself.I think we all have that goal in our teaching, but like many things, this is often easier said than done. I mean, how exactly do we teach someone how to teach themself?In a 2011 study, researchers recruited six music teachers and 45 students, and evaluated a teaching method that does exactly this. They were curious to see if it would lead to better l...
You know how people say that little kids don’t have a filter? How they just blurt out whatever thoughts pop into their minds?Well, the voice in our head can kind of be like that unfiltered 1st grader. Because we often say some rather unkind and borderline abusive things to ourselves quite automatically.We might not truly believe the mean and discouraging thoughts we think to ourselves - at least at first. But if you’ve ever found yourself struggling with confidence, and started questioning yo...
For most of my life, even through college and grad school, regular ol' repetition was probably my most-utilized learning strategy whether I was studying for a test or practicing for my next lesson or performance.If you've gone through stages like this, you probably remember that this approach is not particularly enjoyable, and is also quite time-consuming. And pretty demotivating too, when you don't get the grade you want or perform as well as you'd like.You're probably utilizing more effecti...
We all procrastinate on things from time to time. And sometimes we pay the price for doing things at the last minute. But then there are times when it actually seems to work out pretty well!So is procrastination all bad? Or could there be a productive and unproductive sort of procrastination?Well, the research seems to suggest that the answer could be...yes?Get all the nerdy details and find out how to know if you're the "good" or "bad" kind of procrastinator: Are You the “Good” or “Bad” Kind...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.* * *When I was first starting out on the violin, I remember there were more fun games and practice challenges involved in my daily practice. Like free improvisation. Or playing with various weights and stuffed animals clipped to my bow.And then at some point, practice became much more "serious." Where the goal was to play things ...
In the age-old debate about nature vs. nurture, I know the correct answer for most things is that it's a blend of both.But sight-reading, at least for me, always felt like one of those things which leaned more on the nature side than nurture. Some folks just seem to have a knack for it, while I always struggled.But what does the research say? Could I have gotten better at sight reading if I applied myself more diligently? And what would that have even looked like anyways? Are there specific t...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.* * *I think we’ve all had teachers tell us that the technical and expressive aspects of music-making are inextricably connected, and that we shouldn’t just work on technique, and expect to add the expressive details later.But how exactly do you do this? Like, what does it look like to connect both the technical and expressive asp...
Everyone seems to be pretty good about staying hydrated nowadays with the popularity of reusable water bottles and a growing number of public water refilling stations in schools, airports, etc.But how much of a difference does hydration make when it comes to practicing and performing more effectively? How exactly might we benefit from being better hydrated? How dehydrated would we need to be to start seeing negative effects? And what would those negative effects even be?There are a number of ...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.* * *Ever have one of those days where it feels like the more you practice, the worse you sound?Or perhaps you've had a lesson with a student, where the more you try to help, the more frustrated and overwhelmed they seem to get?Sometimes it only feels like we're getting worse or making things worse, and the reality is that this is...
As you might imagine, there are a ton of research papers out there.Some are exceedingly useful. Others are interesting, but of questionable usefulness (like the one which explores the physics of buttered toast tending to land butter-side down).And then there are those which might seem silly at first, but make you think, and end up being quite useful (like the one which found that cows which have been given names produce more milk).So I thought it might be fun to look at a study in this latter...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.* * *When you think of your favorite musicians or performers, how much fun do you think they’re having on stage? And how much fun do you think they have in the practice room?Wait...fun in the practice room is allowed? 🤨I recently edited and polished up an old 2016 interview from the archives with violinist Frank Almond, who shares...
Whether it's our children, our students, or our pets, I think it's pretty natural and automatic to want to offer praise for a job well done.We're happy for them, and pleased to see them do well. But what happens when they fall short in some way? Whether it's a subpar performance, a mediocre grade, or a mistake on the carpet, does our praise help to offset the pain (or shame) of these moments? Or do things not work quite this way?A 2014 study reveals some interesting details on the specific ki...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.* * *Much like hair, there are good practice days, and there are not-so-good practice days. 🤣The bad practice days can be filled with frustration, irritation, and maybe even a hint of shame. They can make you lose hope, question whether you have what it takes, and feel like giving up. At least for the day, if not sometimes longer....
When it comes to improving technical aspects of your playing, it's easy to assume that this is mostly a physical issue. Where the solution is to do more practice, and more "correct" repetitions. But what if part of the problem was mental?A 2009 golf study (and many others both before and since!) suggest that what we're thinking about when we're playing can affect our accuracy quite a bit. And that the thing we think we should be thinking about may actually be the least helpful!Get all the ner...
This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most to musicians.* * *I think we've all been told that we should look at the conductor or at our musical colleagues in chamber music settings. But how important is this really?Isn't it enough to have good ears, and simply listen really attentively? Or do we miss out on something when we're more focused on the music on the stand than our music-makin...
For many toddlers, performing seems to come naturally and easily, whether it's an impromptu dance performance in the living room or comedy routine from the back seat of the car.But as we get older, we can start to get self-conscious and worry about negative judgment or what other people will think.Which makes us want to avoid performing. Which only makes performing seem scarier, gives us fewer opportunities to practice getting better at performing, and could lead to more negative experiences ...
Ever find yourself being distracted in the practice room by random thoughts and worries?Like worrying about all the other music that you need to learn. Or the entrance you missed in the last rehearsal. Or whether you're prepared for the upcoming SAT's.Like in-laws who live across the street, these worrisome thoughts like to spontaneously pop into our personal mental space at the most inconvenient times, and make it difficult to focus effectively on the thing we're actually doing in that ...
When I praise the family dog for doing a good thing, I'm not sure if it matters what words I say to him. He seems equally excited and happily wags his tail whether I say "good boy!" or "bad doggie!" as long as I use the same tone of voice.Of course, people are different, and the words we use do matter in the feedback we offer. So if we're trying to build up a student's confidence, and embolden them to take on new challenges, what kind of praise works best?A 2014 study suggests that not all pr...
I think we would all say that we value creativity and would enjoy having more creative students. But is this actually reflected in our actions?Research suggests that we may not be as appreciative and supportive of creative students as we'd like to think. Wait...how can that be?Get all the nerdy details and this week's practice hack here:Do You Have a Bias Against Creative Students (Without Realizing It)?* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than ...
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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