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
377 episodes
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
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 ...
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Episode 374
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6:50
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...
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Episode 373
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53:30
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 ...
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Episode 372
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10:01
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...
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Episode 371
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7:21
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, ...
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Episode 370
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6:04
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?
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Episode 369
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6:42
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...
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Episode 368
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6:04
How to Increase the Likelihood of Being Accepted by Others
It's human nature to want to be liked and accepted by others. But while some seem to have a knack for it, for many of us, fear of rejection or fear of negative evaluation can get in the way.Whether it's walking into a room for a job inte...
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Episode 367
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8:10
Stumped by a Problem in the Practice Room? Try an “Incubation” Break
Have you ever had one of those "aha" moments when a solution to a problem spontaneously popped into your head?Wouldn't it be nice if we could have those moments more often? Well, a 2012 study suggests that you may be able to ...
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Episode 366
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8:39
Perfect Shmerfect. Could More “Mistakes” Accelerate Learning?
Ever notice how some folks seem to learn faster than others? What’s their secret? Is it just natural ability? Sure, maybe there’s some of that.But could it also be that they’re doing something different in the practice room? Like is ther...
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Episode 365
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7:50
Carolyn Christie: On Overcoming Nerves With Healthier Internal Dialogue - and Phrasing!
Ever notice how mean the voice in your head can become on stage? Where it generates YouTube comment section-like levels of criticism and abuse?Or maybe you haven’t even gotten on stage yet. But as you’re waiting your turn, you overhear t...
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Episode 364
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44:14
Can We Train Ourselves to Worry Less About Others’ Opinions?
I came across a study years ago which found that fear of negative evaluation was one of the key drivers of performance anxiety in musicians. Which of course makes perfect sense, as we're being evaluated all the time. Often, with meaningful cons...
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Episode 363
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9:23
What Causes "Choking" Under Pressure? And What Can We Do About It?
Have you ever had one of those days on stage where you suddenly can't seem to do a thing that normally is never an issue? Or maybe it's one of those days where everything just spontaneously falls apart? And for seemingly no reason at al...
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Episode 362
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10:18
The Truth About Cramming: Why Your Brain Needs Breaks
Taking breaks in the middle of practice or study sessions can be a pain. Often, it's a lot easier and more convenient to just power through and get it over with.But what price do we pay by not spacing out our learning, over multiple day...
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Episode 361
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8:36
Orli Shaham: On Overcoming Setbacks and Learning to Trust the Process
Ever had one of those “I’m a total failure, and I’m never going to be invited to play with these folks again” moments?In this month’s chat, pianist Orli Shaham shares a deeply personal story about a performance at the Spoleto Festival in...
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Episode 360
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53:28
A Backward Strategy for Enhanced Goal-Setting Success
Maybe you've set some goals for the coming year, but you're not quite sure where to start, and feeling a little overwhelmed? Or maybe you have a history of setting goals but not following through?A 2017 study looked at a "backwards" str...
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Episode 359
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7:36
4 Approaches to Goal Setting (And Which Works Best)
Are you a little overwhelmed by all of the different year-in-review and goal-setting methods you're getting in your inbox? If you're confused by the variety and range of approaches out there and just want a bare-bones minimalist option ...
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Episode 358
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7:18
Do Extroverts Make Better Performers Than Introverts?
Have you ever wondered if there's an advantage to being an extrovert or introvert when it comes to performing?Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to keep wondering, because I couldn't find a definitive answer one way or the other from...
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Episode 357
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6:37
Laurie Scott & Cornelia Watkins: On Going From the Stage to the Studio
“See one, do one, teach one” is a model for learning that’s been utilized in medicine for many generations.It’s quite a helpful model, but if you’ve ever tried your hand at teaching, you know how incredibly challenging that can be. Often...
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Episode 356
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50:34
Does How We Look On Stage Matter More Than How We Sound...?
Have you ever wondered how much the visual aspect of a performance matters to the listener?Like, if you were going to enter two competitions, where one required submitting an audio recording and the other required a video recording, whi...
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Episode 355
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11:10
Does Counting Our Blessings Really Change Anything?
Thanksgiving is just a few days away, so whether your holiday will be of the turkey, turducken, or Tofurky variety, the one thing we all have in common is that someone will suggest that we go around the table and share one thing that we're grat...
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Episode 354
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6:25
An Easier Way to Get Better at Mental Imagery?
You've heard that mental practice and mental imagery can help enhance your learning - but what if your images are fuzzy and this is difficult for you? Is this something that you can get better at with practice?Spoiler alert: yes - and a...
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Episode 353
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9:28