
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.
The Bulletproof Musician
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 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program.
In this episode, we explore…
- Yumi’s early musical influences
- What effective practice really means (and looks like)
- How Yumi balances competing demands and sets practice goals and intentions
- When is something good enough, and it’s time to move on?
- Biggest takeaways from her studies in the University of Pennsylvania’s positive psychology program
- Self-compassion, positive teaching, overcoming negative self-talk
- Identity and habit formation
- Yumi’s experience with performance anxiety and how she learned to get past this in the early part of her career
- Dealing with shaky bow
- What change would she love to see in the music industry?
For the complete transcript and other notes and links, visit:
Cellist Yumi Kendall: On Becoming a More Positive (And Effective) Practicer
More from The Bulletproof Musician
- 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