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
392 episodes
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...
•
Episode 392
•
9:30
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...
•
Episode 391
•
7:35
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 ...
•
Episode 390
•
45:35
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...
•
Episode 389
•
7:41
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...
•
Episode 388
•
7:35
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...
•
Episode 387
•
7:56
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...
•
Episode 386
•
36:17
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...
•
Episode 385
•
8:35
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...
•
Episode 384
•
7:58
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...
•
Episode 383
•
9:36
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...
•
Episode 382
•
12:01
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...
•
Episode 381
•
49:33
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?...
•
Episode 380
•
8:37
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 ...
•
Episode 379
•
8:02
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?...
•
Episode 378
•
9:31
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.
•
Episode 377
•
1:09:42
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...
•
Episode 376
•
8:59
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...
•
Episode 375
•
6:43
A Self-Talk Tweak to Boost the Odds of Achieving Your Goals
My daughter and I have been binge-watching past seasons of The Amazing Race for some months now, and the psychology nerd in me has become increasingly fascinated by one particular aspect of the show.The participants’ self-talk.As ...
•
Episode 374
•
7:13
Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound and Becoming a Better Practicer
Ever get that overwhelmed feeling in the practice room? Where you know there’s a ton of work to be done, but you’re not quite sure where to start or what exactly to do?Maybe you’re not happy with your sound, or your intonation is sketchy...
•
Episode 373
•
53:53
Finding Your Optimal Anxiety Level: Why Calm Isn’t Always Better
Even from a young age, I was always confused by the relationship between nerves and performance. There were times, for instance, when I’d be nervous and sound pretty terrible. But then there were other times when I’d be nervous and play better ...
•
Episode 372
•
10:25
The 70% Rule: Why Practicing Shouldn’t Be Too Easy
Somewhere along the line we learn that mistakes are bad, and perfect is good - but what if this is actually not true when it comes to learning?What if mistakes are actually an essential part of learning? And what if we actually le...
•
Episode 371
•
7:44
Sight Reading: The Ideal Error Rate for Optimal Learning
When you're practicing sight-reading, how difficult should the music be?Should it be easy enough that you can read it more or less perfectly, without any mistakes?Should it be difficult enough that you're making lots of mistakes, ...
•
Episode 370
•
6:27
Why Practicing While Distracted Is Actually Very Important
Have you ever found yourself getting irritated or see your performance get derailed by distractions on stage? Maybe it was noises backstage, or movement in the audience, or people coughing and loudly unwrapping candy in the quiet moments?
•
Episode 369
•
7:05
How to Help Students Remember More From Each Lesson
A one-hour lesson can often go by really quickly, but also be packed with lots and lots to remember.Have you ever found yourself repeating yourself from one week to the next? Having to remind students about things you've already talked a...
•
Episode 368
•
6:27