The Bulletproof Musician
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.
Episodes
399 episodes
Jane Ginsborg: On Building Stronger and More Reliable Musical Memory
Talk to anyone who has ever performed from memory, and you’ll probably get a story of a time when their memory failed them. For instance, I remember a time, perhaps in elementary school, when I got lost in a piece on stage, and rather than stop...
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Episode 399
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56:05
How to Use Focus Cues to Play More Freely on Stage
A pianist once told me the last thing their teacher said at their final lesson after years of study: “Now forget everything I ever told you.”Not exactly the parting wisdom you’d expect, right?But hidden in that odd-sounding advice...
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Episode 398
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5:26
Is There Hope for the Most Anxious Performers?
One of the questions that I'm often asked, is the question of whether performance psychology can be helpful to those whose performance anxiety is a little more severe than most.Well, a 2023 study looked at that exact question actually. ...
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Episode 397
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11:00
How to Get Your Mind in the Right Place Before Going On Stage
Staying in a good mental and emotional state before performances is critical to playing up to our abilities when it counts. And we're probably going to be less likely to shy away from performance opportunities too, if we have more control over ...
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Episode 396
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8:42
Graham Fitch: On Playful Practice and Muscle Memory You Can Trust
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 multiplicatio...
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Episode 395
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54:59
Does Aiming for Perfection Actually Hurt Performance?
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...
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Episode 394
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9:17
Could Performance Anxiety Be Causing Students to Quit?
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 p...
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Episode 393
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9:11
Worried About a Performance? 4 Reasons Why (And How to Stop)
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 visi...
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Episode 392
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9:06
Double Your Practice Gains With a Nap?
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...
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Episode 391
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7:12
Ignasi Cambra: On Learning, Memorizing, and Interpreting Music
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 ...
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Episode 390
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45:12
Notes First or Music First? Which Leads to Better Performance?
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...
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Episode 389
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7:17
A Way to Get More Useful Performance Feedback?
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 ou...
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Episode 388
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7:12
How to Unlock Your Students’ Hidden Practice Abilities
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...
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Episode 387
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7:33
Judy Loman: On the Best Advice For an Aspiring Harpist (or Musician)
“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 do...
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Episode 386
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35:54
A Comparison of Three Approaches to Teaching Expressiveness
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 st...
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Episode 385
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8:12
The Overlooked Skill That Could Make Performing More Enjoyable
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...
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Episode 384
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7:35
How Do Effective Practicers Make the Most of Their Practice Time?
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 be...
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Episode 383
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9:13
Do We Unconsciously Favor Talent Over Effort?
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 abili...
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Episode 382
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11:38
Cellist Yumi Kendall: On Becoming a More Positive (And Effective) Practicer
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 gr...
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Episode 381
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49:10
How to Keep Your Inner Critic From Getting the Better of You
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?...
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Episode 380
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8:14
Pre-Performance Apathy (and the Importance of Mentally Disengaging From Practice)
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 ...
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Episode 379
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7:38
Your Brain Isn’t Built for Consistency - Here’s How to Make That Work for You
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?...
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Episode 378
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9:08
Mitch Abrams: On Trauma and High-Level Performance
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.
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Episode 377
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1:09:19
Reward vs. Punishment: Which Leads to Faster Learning?
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 th...
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Episode 376
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8:36
One Way Parents Can Help Their Kids Be Less Anxious
It's hard to be a parent and not worry about one's kids. Especially when it comes to public performances, competitions, or auditions, whether big or small.But doesn't it feel like sometimes a parents' worry is contagious? Where their str...
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Episode 375
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6:20