The Bulletproof Musician

A few weeks ago, violinist Nigel Kennedy was quoted as saying that today's young musicians are more "clone-like," noting that while so many have phenomenal technical fluency, this may have come at the expense of musical communication.This was in the context of a larger (and intriguing) conversation about how funding in music is distributed, and how this might be part of the issue, but regardless, I was curious to see if there might be any studies on this particular issue.Though I didn't find any data on this in the realm of classical music, I did find a 2012 study that explored this in the context of popular music. Which had some pretty interesting findings that I suspect could be related to classical music as well.Click below for all the nerdy details, and how this could be related to your daily practice: Are Today’s Musicians More “Clone-Like?"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

I often get questions about specific topics or issues that haven't already been covered in  a podcast episode. Today's episode is devoted to a question that has come up a fair bit.Specifically, it's about staying focused in the practice room. And in particular, for those who have been diagnosed with ADHD.The study compares a group of college students who practice for 80 repetitions with a group that practices for 160. The main question being - how much additional benefit does practicing twice as much have when it comes to speed and accuracy? And does this apply equally to students who have been diagnosed with ADHD and those who are non-ADHD?Turns out the findings apply to both ADHD and non-ADHD populations. Click below for all the nerdy details:Why Practicing Too Much Could Actually Increase ErrorsMore 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

If you've watched any sports - especially golf, basketball, and tennis - you've probably noticed that many athletes have a pre-shot, pre-free throw, or pre-serve ritual that they go through before performing that skill.Many musicians have rituals too, even if it's as simple as wiping your hands on your pants or hearing the opening of a piece to get the tempo in mind before you begin playing.Athletes' routines tend to be very consistent, and don't change from game to game or shot to shot. But how important is it to keep your routine consistent? Does it matter how long the routine takes, or whether the ingredients of your routine remain the same from one performance to the next?Get all the nerdy details here:How Consistent Do Pre-Performance Routines Need to Be?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

At some point or another, you've probably come across learning styles theory. Which suggests that some of us are visual learners, others are auditory learners, or kinesthetic learners, etc., and that we learn best if we are taught in a way that aligns with our learning style.This makes a lot of sense, and feels pretty true as well - but what does the research say?A 2009 review of the literature gives us some answers. And, spoiler alert, basically there's no evidence to support this theory. In other words, learning styles theory seems to be a myth. 😳 Wait...what?!For all the nerdy details and links to strategies that do work, check out the full article:The Surprising Truth about Learning StylesMore 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

You know those moments when you're practicing, and suddenly wonder what time the 49ers game is tonight? Or if so-and-so returned your email? Or if it's going to rain tomorrow? Or what you should eat for lunch? Staying focused for extended periods of time can be a real challenge. And our phones dinging and buzzing every other minute certainly doesn't make this any easier. But airplane mode should solve that problem, right?Well...according to a 2017 study, maybe not! But that's ok - there are some simple things we can do to make sure we can devote as much of our brainpower as possible to practicing, with as little cognitive "leakage" as possible.Get all the nerdy details here:Difficulty Staying Focused While Practicing? Why “Airplane Mode” May Not Be EnoughMore 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

You know how some practice sessions can feel really good? Where it seems like you're making lots of improvement? But then the next day, things don't sound much better?And then sometimes, you have what feels like a crappy day in the practice room, where nothing seems to be improving...but then the next day, you sound so much better?A 2009 study provides some clues on why this is, what's happening, and how you can tweak your practice for more lasting improvement from one day to the next.Get all the nerdy details here:A Hack to Boost Your Practice EfficiencyMore 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

About a month ago, we heard from violinist Sumina Studer and violist Drew Forde (click here if you missed it), who shared tips and insights on how they built their social media following (about half a million followers combined).Today, in Part 2 of this two-part miniseries, we’ll hear from cellist Ken Kubota (160k+) and bassoonist Morgan Davison (35k+), who highlight some of the more meaningful, but less-obvious benefits of becoming a social media content creator. Benefits like improved practice motivation and efficiency, as well as more confidence in performance.You’ll also hear about some early mistakes that were made (plus solutions), dealing with imposter syndrome, and more.If you’re wondering if it’s worth dipping your toes into the social media waters, or whether it’s worth continuing your efforts, I think you’ll enjoy this episode.Get all the nerdy details here:On Building an Audience in 2023: Ken Kubota & Morgan DavisonMore 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

Like many other young kids, I never really thought twice about memorizing music. In the course of working on a piece, it usually just happened.Of course, at some point, memorizing music becomes more difficult for everyone. The repertoire gets more challenging, you start having lots of repertoire to learn at the same time, and performance deadlines don't leave you with as much time as you'd like.And this is when you probably began memorizing music on purpose. Intentionally. Using specific memorization strategies (a few linked below).But this leads to a related question that I don't think we often ask. Which is, when should we start the process of memorizing a new piece? Once it's mostly in your fingers? When you can play it at tempo? A month before the performance? Two?A 2002 study of singers provides some clues.Get all the nerdy details here:When Is the Best Time to Start Memorizing a New Piece?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

Whether it's sticking to a regular practice routine, studying a little bit every day instead of cramming the night before an exam, or eating more healthily, I think it's pretty universal to wish that we had a little more self-discipline.Because that's the key to doing these things consistently, right?Well...what if there were an easier way to avoid temptations and distractions? One that didn't require as much willpower? And made it easier to practice, or go to the gym, or steer clear of TikTok when doing homework?A 2016 study provides some insights on how to work towards your goals more easily. With less willpower required.Get all the nerdy details here:The Lazy Person’s Guide to Mastering Self-ControlMore 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

Whether it's changing your diet, investing your money, or practicing, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if you're doing it "right" because meaningful change usually happens gradually over time.I guess in an ideal world, we'd be able to pick a strategy, hop into a time machine, and see how it pans out in the future. And then go back to the present, pick another strategy, peek at the future again, and see which worked better.But for now, there's a 2001 study that basically does the time travel thing for us. Where it compares the practice behaviors of the best free throw shooters and that of the worst free throw shooters to see if they do anything different. Spoiler alert, there is a difference. Two important differences that we can apply to music practice.It's actually one of the specific things we're going to work on in the live practice "bootcamp" that starts this week (details ​here​). But whether you plan to join in or not, do give this week's practice hack a try and see what you think. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of effective practice, and an approach to practicing that can completely transform how you feel about practicing - especially if you've always had a sort of tolerate/hate relationship with practicing. 😅Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:​Two Things Experts Do Differently When PracticingMore 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