Transforming Self-Perception in Music

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

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