The Bulletproof Musician

By Noa Kageyama

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 Kageya

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The podcast currently has 418 episodes available.

Best of The Bulletproof Musician

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Number 1: 2026.8 | Lorna McGhee
Do elite performers actually feel as confident as they look? In this conversation with Boston Symphony principal flutist Lorna McGhee, we explore what's really happening beneath a confident-looking performance, and why she's come to believe that confidence is something you do, not something you feel. Lorna McGhee is principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and has previously served as principal flute in the Pittsburgh Symphony and co-principal flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. She has performed as guest principal with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and London Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as a concerto soloist with ensembles across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Japan. An active chamber musician, she is a member of Trio Verlaine and has recorded several albums, including a Gramophone Editor's Choice selection with the group mobius. She has taught at the University of Michigan, the University of British Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon University, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. Scottish by birth, she studied with William Bennett in London and is a lifelong student of English literature and the Alexander Technique. In this episode, we explore why confidence might be overrated as a performance goal, how one specific audition where her low notes wouldn't come out reshaped her approach to nerves, why she now works with her nervous system instead of trying to override it, what it means to treat courage as a choice rather than a feeling, and the small, deliberate rituals - from a mantra repeated before walking on stage to a notebook carried into her biggest audition - that help her get through high-stakes performances. Get all the nerdy details in this month's interview: Lorna Mcghee: Treating Confidence as Something You Do, Not Something You Feel More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses
August 02, 202655min
Number 2: A Learning Method That Outperformed Traditional Practice
A few months ago, when a sportswriter published an article in The New York Times about an unusual and “revolutionary” practice method that NBA star Victor Wembanyama and other elite athletes and teams (like the World Series-winning LA Dodgers) were utilizing, I started getting emails from musicians, asking if this method, known as the “constraints-led approach,” might apply to practicing music too. So what is the constraints-led approach? And is it relevant to musicians? Spoiler alert - yes, it totally is. 😁 And if you’ve ever been frustrated by how you can play exactly the way you want in the practice room, but find that things start to break down when you’re surrounded by other musicians, or playing in a new hall, or on a different piano, this can not only help you be more comfortable in performance, but have way more fun in your daily practice too. Get all the nerdy details right here: A Learning Method That Outperformed Traditional Practice More joy in the practice room and on stage in 2026? Get the Beyond Practicing 2-for-1 offer (ends on December 14, 2025 at 11:59pm) More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses
December 14, 202510min
Number 3: How Much Perfectionism Do You Really Need to Succeed?
A friend recently asked if it's true that becoming a virtuoso performer requires being a perfectionist. Well, spoiler alert, it's not a simple yes or no answer. And there are a lot of fascinating nuances to explore. One of which involves performance anxiety, and the question of whether perfectionism increases or decreases nerves. Get all the nerdy details and find out how much perfectionism might work best: How Much Perfectionism Do You Really Need to Succeed? References Racine, P., Laflamme, S. V., Gaudreau, P., & Langlois, F. (2025). Please don’t stop the music! A new look at the performance anxiety of musicians with the model of excellencism and perfectionism. Psychology of Music. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356241300538 ☃️ Holiday 2-for-1 Offer Get the Beyond Practicing course, with bonus account and two additional bonuses for you and a buddy (ends December 7, 2025): 👉 Get the 2-for-1 offer + bonuses More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses
December 07, 20259min
Number 4: Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse: The Science of Sleep for Musicians
What if one of the most overlooked factors affecting memory consolidation, emotional regulation, practice efficiency, and performance consistency wasn’t a new practice strategy - but sleep? Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse is a triple board-certified neurologist, sleep specialist, and epileptologist at the University of Pittsburgh, where her work focuses on cognitive performance, sleep, and neurological recovery under high-demand conditions. In addition to her clinical and academic work, she consults with high-performing populations including professional athletes, executives, pilots, and first responders, and has served as a neurology consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this episode, we explore why practice sometimes doesn’t “stick,” how sleep affects emotional reactivity and performance anxiety, why pianists improved 10-13% overnight without additional practice, how naps and “sleep banking” can help before auditions and performances, what musicians should know about jet lag and chronotypes, and the surprisingly small sleep habits that may have the biggest impact on performing at your true level. Get all the nerdy details in this month's interview: Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse: The Science of Sleep for Musicians More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses
May 10, 202644min
Number 5: Micah Killion: The One Thing Artist-Level Musicians Do Differently in the Practice Room
How should musicians actually practice to improve faster? In this conversation with researcher and trumpet professor Micah Killion, we explore what expert musicians do differently in the practice room and what research reveals about effective practice. Micah Killion is Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Brass Coordinator at Montclair State University and former principal trumpet of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. A Yamaha Performing Artist with degrees from Juilliard, Teachers College–Columbia, and UT Austin, his research on expert practice and music learning has been presented at leading institutions including Juilliard, Eastman, and the Royal Academy of Music. In this episode, Micah shares what he discovered after closely analyzing how elite performers actually practice - and why their approach looks very different from the way most musicians were taught. We explore the decision-making process behind effective practice, the surprising role of mistakes in learning, and a simple strategy that can help musicians practice more efficiently, musically, and consistently. Get all the nerdy details right here: Micah Killion: The One Thing Artist-Level Musicians Do Differently in the Practice Room More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced coursesMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses
March 08, 20261h 2min