The Bulletproof Musician

So…everyone (and their dog 😅) seems to have a social media presence nowadays - whether on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, etc. But how important is it for musicians today to embrace social media, really?Can growing an online audience have tangible benefits to one’s career? Or is the reality different from how it appears from the outside?If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a sizable online following, and whether it’s worth taking the leap, I think you’ll enjoy today’s episode with violinist Sumina Studer (340k followers) and violist Drew Forde (160k followers).Spoiler alert: it turns out that the experience can be a nuanced mix of positives and negatives, and be different for each person too.Get all the nerdy details here:On Building an Audience in 2023: Sumina Studer & Drew FordeMore 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

Effective practice isn't always easy or fun. But a 2010 study reveals a psychological hack that could make longer and more challenging practice sessions, rehearsals, or lessons feel easier and more appealing than shorter and less effortful practice sessions. Which sounds totally backwards, but could come in handy if you have students who have a difficult time getting themselves to practice. Or if you have difficulty getting yourself to practice for that matter! 😅Get all the nerdy details here:How to Make Practicing Feel Less Like a ChoreMore 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

Ever notice how critical the voice in your head can be? That voice can make us feel pretty crummy at times - but is it also responsible for pushing us to strive for better?If we had been less self-abusive and more self-compassionate along the way, would we be where we are today? Or is it possible that we would have advanced even further, if we had been a little kinder to ourselves?There has been increased research attention in the area of self-compassion in recent years. A recurring question amongst high-performers is whether it's "safe" to be more self-compassionate, or if greater self-compassion could lead to a drop in one's competitive edge.I have a study for you today (Breines & Chen, 2012) that provides some clues to this question. And if you're curious how self-compassionate you are, there's also a short test you can take that will provide an answer!Get all the nerdy details here:Self-Compassion: Does It Help or Hurt Performance?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

Have you ever studied with a teacher who encouraged you to sing during your practice?There are lots of reasons for this, but aside from doing it in a lesson when my teacher made me sing in front of them, I never integrated any singing into my daily practice. It just felt silly, and I wasn't sold on the benefits.Looking back, of course, I would have given it more of a chance. And if you need a little help convincing yourself, a 2017 study and 2021 study provide a bit of evidence suggesting this may be a worthwhile addition to your daily routine.Get all the nerdy details here: Why Singing Could Enhance Your Daily PracticeMore 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

When you to students practicing, there's one thing that is often conspicuously absent.Silence.You'll typically hear a good bit of repetition - but not a lot of quiet time or space between repetitions.And why does this matter? Well, studies have found that too little space between repetitions - or too short an "inter-trial interval" can actually inhibit learning.So...is there an optimal length of time to inject between repetitions?Get all the nerdy details here: For More Effective Practice, Try…Longer…PausesMore 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

We’ve all probably (at least secretly) enjoyed watching shows like American Idol or The Voice at one point or another.But what has your experience (or that of your students) been as a participant in competitions? Whether it be small local competitions, or a regional, national or international competitions, have your experiences been largely positive? Or not so positive?You might have some strong feelings about competitions, and whether your students should enter competitions or not. And so in this month’s conversation, I chat with both a researcher and a musician who can speak to different aspects of this question, and help you better prepare yourself, your students, and their parents for the music competition experience.Get all the nerdy details in the full episode below (there’s also a transcript with timestamps if you’d like to jump right to a few key points of interest):George Waddell: On the Hidden Consequences of Music CompetitionsMore 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 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 EffectiveMore 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 manipulating our air, making embouchure adjustments, or learning to use the weight of our arm to produce a beautiful sound, we spend a lot of time working really hard to get things just right.We ask for feedback and suggestions from our teachers, we watch YouTube videos of our favorite musicians, and get tips from instructional videos on the correct way to perform a skill. All of which are invaluable parts of the learning process.But there's another approach, that we rarely (if ever) utilize, which may be even more effective than the traditional approach. And what strategy is that?Intentionally getting things wrong.Like, producing a thin, weak sound instead of a clear, full, resonant sound. Or a harsh, gritty attack, instead of a smooth, velvety start.Turns out, practicing the wrong way may lead to better learning and enhanced performance than only practicing the right way.Get all the nerdy details here: The Superiority of Intentionally Imperfect Practice?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

Have you ever watched your favorite musician perform, and wondered what goes through their head on stage?Like, what are they thinking about? Do they ever worry? What do they worry about? Is playing as easy as it looks? Or do they have bad days too? Does it ever get easier? How do they deal with criticism or bad reviews or even the critic in their own head? How similar is their experience in performance to ours?As you may have heard, renowned pianist Menahem Pressler passed away last weekend at the age of 99. A founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, his performing career spanned over seven decades, and he taught generations of pianists who have gone on to hold teaching positions around the world and win prizes in all of the major competitions.I got to know Mr. Pressler a tiny bit during my time at Indiana University, as he was my wife's teacher, and kindly included me in studio parties and events. He was also curious and encouraging of my interests in psychology at a time when I had no idea how things would pan out, which I always appreciated.So in the summer of 2012, I reached out to see if I might ask him some questions about practicing and performing. He was very open about his mental experience on stage, his own doubts and fears at various points in his life, and what success and failure meant to him, as well as the more practical aspects of how he prepares for performance.I hope you find it as insightful and inspiring a conversation as I did.Note: This episode was recorded over the telephone/Skype, and I’ve done my best to clean up the audio, but if you would like a transcript, you can download one at:https://bulletproofmusician.com/menahem-pressler-on-following-your-heart/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

Learn how to find the perfect strings for your musical instrument from experts in the industry. Discover the impact of different string materials, wraps, gauges, and tensions on your instrument's sound. Get tips on saving time and money while exploring the world of strings to enhance your playing style and instrument performance.