The Bulletproof Musician How to Make Mental Practice Even More Effective
Whether it's running through a piece in your head to see if it's memorized, or imagining different fingering options while taking a practice break, you've probably used mental imagery to supplement your physical practice at one point or another.
Research in this area suggests that mental practice can indeed enhance learning and performance beyond physical practice alone, but how do we know if we're doing it right?
A 2015 study (Debarnot et al.) identified two things that boosted the effectiveness of participants' mental practice pretty substantially. And it wasn't anything crazy that would require much time or effort. Just a couple simple tweaks that you could use to level up your mental practice this week.
Get all the nerdy details here: How to Make Mental Practice Even More Effective
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Have you been feeling a little stuck or stagnant in the practice room? Or has performance anxiety and the gap between practice and performance been a nagging issue that hasn’t changed, no matter how well you've prepared for performances, auditions - and even lessons?
If you’ve been wanting to experience more joy in the practice room and play more like yourself on stage, but haven’t been quite sure how to make that happen, starting June 10, 2025, I’ll be teaching a live, online, accelerated 2-week class on the most essential mental skills and practice strategies that can make a difference in your practicing and performing.
We’ll meet twice a week via Zoom and work on a series of exercises and techniques in four essential skill areas (effective practice, managing anxiety, focus, and confidence), together as a group. And to make sure the concepts become consistent habits, I'll show you how to gently integrate these new skills into your (or your students’) daily practice through bite-sized practice challenges alongside a supportive group of practice buddies from around the world. Registration is open now through 11:59pm on Sunday, June 8th.
Over 2000 musicians, educators, and students and learners of all ages have participated in the course to date. You can find out what alumni are saying, and sign up to join Cohort 23 at: