This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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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.

On the flip side, the good practice days, can be pretty terrific. You feel confident, capable, and think to yourself, yes, you do deserve to have some guacamole on your burrito bowl!

How can we have more of those good days?

Well, it seems that an external focus of attention during practice could make a real difference.

What does that mean exactly?

Click below to get all the nerdy details:
Learn Faster by Thinking Less?

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

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 nerdy details here:
To Play More Accurately, Change Your Focus?

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most to musicians.

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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-making partners?

A study of the Afiara and Cecilia string quartets provide some clues.

Get all the nerdy details here;
Why Good Ensemble Playing May Require More Than Just Your Ears

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

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 on stage, and more avoidance.

So how do we interuppt this cycle? if we're uncomfortable playing for an audience, how can we practice performing and build up more confidence and positive performance experiences? Short of just doing it anyway and hoping for the best?

A 2014 study about young readers (it's more relevant than you might think) may provide some clues!

Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:

A Gentle Way to Help Kids (or Adults) Build Performance Confidence?

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

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 moment.

And there is an emotional cost too, as worrying can make us more stressed, anxious, and tense.

So...is there anything we can do to reduce these worries and get better at single-tasking and focusing on the thing in front of us at the moment?

Get all the nerdy details right here:
A Simple Strategy for Reducing Worries and Practicing With More Focus

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

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 praise has the same effect. And that even if well-intentioned, one particular type of praise can backfire and even heighten a student's fear of failure. 😳

Get all the nerdy details right here:
Why the Wrong Kind of Praise Could Heighten a Student's Fear of Failure

* * *
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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

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)?

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

You know that famous quote attributed to Debussy? The one that goes something like "Music is the space between the notes."?

I don't know about you, but I was certainly guilty of compress things and rushing through these spaces on many an occasion...

And of course, there's an awful lot of music within each note as well. Which I also tended to rush through and pay too little attention to. (And where was I in such a rush to get to? No idea. Maybe the end of the piece so I could get off stage? 🤣)

This might seem like a really abstract concept at first. So it's the sort of thing that can be easy to push to the back burner, because there are always so many notes to learn on your music stand. But paying more attention to the life within each note can make practicing and performing a much more engaging and gratifying experience. And improve your sense of rhythm and phrasing as well.

In other words, it's worth keeping on the front burner, even if just at a simmer.

Umm...ok, but what does this mean or look like exactly?

In today's episode, violist Steven Tenenbom (Orion Quartet, Curtis, Juilliard, Mannes, Bard) explains, and illustrates what this means using concrete musical examples.

Get all the nerdy details right here:
Steven Tenenbom: On Rhythm, Phrasing, and the Life Within Each Note

* * *
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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

The legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti famously had a quirky backstage ritual that he needed to complete before he could go on stage.

Apparently, he would wander around backstage, scanning the floor until he found a bent nail, which would serve as his good luck charm for that performance.

It sounds like a silly sort of thing to do, and it’s hard to imagine Pavarotti needing much in the way of luck, but could this have been more helpful than we think?

A 2010 study provides some answers and insights into whether good luck charms and superstitious rituals could help enhance your next performance or audition.

Spoiler alert - Pavarotti might have been onto something!

Of course, there’s more to performing optimally under pressure than good luck charms and superstitious too. There are actually a handful of concrete, learnable skills - like anxiety regulation, attention control, grounded confidence, and retrieval-oriented practice - that can help make performing funner and a much more positive experience, even if you’ve struggled with this for years.

If you’d like to develop these skills in 2024, that will be the focus of the upcoming live, online, 4-week Performance Psych Essentials class. Registration ends today, Sunday, Jan. 21st (2024), at 11:59pm Pacific time. Get the class dates and details here: Register for Performance Psych Essentials

But if now’s not the right time for a class like this, that’s ok too! In the meantime, you can get all the nerdy details about this week’s study and practice hack right here:
Can Good Luck Charms and Superstitious Rituals Enhance Performance?

* * *
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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa

The other day, I had to parallel park in a crowded neighborhood with narrow streets. I’m usually pretty good about getting it right the first time, but this time, I was feeling a bit of pressure from the antsy drivers lined up behind me, who couldn’t pass until I finished parking.

You can probably imagine what happened next, but the gist is that I bonked the curb and had to reset and do it all over as everyone behind me watched and (presumably) rolled their eyes at this doofus who can’t park.

I just experienced “choking.” And I’m assuming you’ve had some experience with this phenomenon too, whether it’s parking or performing.

It’s tempting to assume that we can prevent choking by simply practicing more. But it turns out it’s a little more interesting than that, and there are several key skills that go into performing your best under pressure. There’s retrieval-oriented practice. Anxiety regulation skills. And learning how to get into a performance-enhancing headspace, and stay focused on the right things on stage too.

(BTW, if you’d like to develop these skills in 2024, that will be the focus of the upcoming live, online, 4-week Performance Psych Essentials class. Registration begins Sunday, Jan. 14 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 21. Get the class dates and details here: Register for Performance Psych Essentials)

Then again, there’s a 2013 study, which suggests that a simple 30-second performance hack could prevent you from choking too. Hmm...could it really be that easy?

Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:
A Simple Technique to Prevent Choking (Which Sounds Like it Couldn't Possibly Work)

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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 a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.

It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.

Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa