My daughter loved playing card games as a young child. And what was fun about playing with her was how completely transparent she was. Anytime she got a good hand, or picked up a special card, the glee was written all over her face. Her eyes lit up, and I knew something unfortunate was about to happen to me. 😆

This sort of emotional expressivity is an important part of communicating from the stage - but there’s a negative side of this too, of course.

Because I'm guessing we've all been told by a teacher at some point that we should walk out on stage confidently, with a smile. And that we should avoid frowning or expressing frustration when the performance isn’t going well.

Yet...how much does this really matter? Does any of it make a difference, as long as we play well?

A 2017 study by previous podcast guests Aaron Williamon and George Waddell provide some surprising answers.

Get all the nerdy details here:
Why Every Performer Needs a Good Poker Face

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How frequently do you take breaks during practice?

Ever wonder how long your breaks should be? Or for that matter, how long your practice sessions should be?

If you've ever wondered if there's such a thing as an optimal practice-to-rest ratio that maximizes productivity and effective practice, there's some data out there which provides some clues. But the question is...will the data align with your own experience? 😁

Get all the nerdy details and this week's practice hack here:
What’s the Optimal Practice-To-Rest Ratio?

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Whether it's writing a paper, studying for finals, or preparing for a recital or audition, have you ever find yourself cramming at the last minute, wishing you had a time machine and could go back and give yourself more time to prepare?

Well, a 2002 study provides some clues on how to set better deadlines - and also, how to make self-imposed deadlines work better, if you haven't had much luck with that in the past.

Get all the nerdy details here:
Is There a Way to Make Self-Imposed Deadlines Work?

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We're often told to listen to recordings of music that we're working on.

And we often tell our students to do so as well, but is there any research which suggests that this benefits the learning process in any way?

A 2012 study takes a look at this question, and compares both active and passive listening to see what sorts of benefits there might (or might not) be:

Get all the nerdy details here:
Does Listening to Music Benefit the Music Learning Process?

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Ever have one of those days in the practice room, where as soon as you fix one issue, another problem pops up? And just when you think you have that problem solved, the original thing "breaks" again? And when you try to think about both of those things, a third issue emerges?

This practice room whack-a-mole problem can be kind of frustrating. But it speaks to how difficult it can be to keep multiple things in mind simultaneously when the various parts of a new skill aren't yet in muscle memory.

Is there any way around this? Well, a 2010 study provides some helpful clues!

Get all the nerdy details here:
A Better Way to Learn, Teach, and Perform New Skills?

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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?

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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 learning and performance results than the "regular" teaching approach.

Spoiler alert: it did.

Click below for all the nerdy details:
A Teaching Method That Creates Smarter Practicers

References
Bathgate, M., Sims‐Knight, J., & Schunn, C. (2011). Thoughts on Thinking: Engaging novice music students in metacognition. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(3), 403–409. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1842

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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 yourself, and wondering if maybe your inner critic was right, you’re not alone.

A 1977 study (it’s an oldie, but goodie) explains why this happens - and gives us some clues on how we might interrupt the automatic habit that often undermines our confidence.

Get all the nerdy details here:
The Subtle Habit That Might Be Undermining Your Confidence

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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 effective learning strategies nowadays, but there's an interesting mindset shift that can make a big difference in your learning and retention, that you may not yet have in your toolbox. And no, it's not the growth mindset, if that's what you were thinking! It's something else entirely. 😁

Get all the nerdy details and links to related articles right here:
Learn More Effectively with This Lesser-Known Mindset Shift

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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 of Procrastinator?

Also, I mention spaced, interleaved, and variable practice at the end of the episode. If you're wondering what those things are, you can learn more about them here:

The Learning-Performance Distinction and Why Your Practice Gains Don't Stick

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• Get 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