The Bulletproof Musician

It's often said that failure is the best teacher. Or at least, that failure is a better teacher than success.But how exactly are we supposed to learn from failure without getting discouraged?And why does success get such a bad rap as a teacher, anyhow? What if the problem is that we haven't been reflecting on our successes in the right way?A 2014 study provides some clues on how to engage in a systematic post-performance review process that will help you learn better from both successful and unsuccessful performances or auditions.Get all the nerdy details here: How Exactly to Learn From Failures (And Successes Too)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

Intuitively, I think we approach teaching with the goal of helping students avoid failure. So it's natural to step in if we see students floundering about and approaching a problem the wrong way.But what if we are hindering students' learning by stepping in too soon? Like stepping in too soon to help with spotting someone at the gym, or helping them too much on that last repetition.We certainly don't want anyone to get hurt or discouraged, of course! But a 2011 study suggests that too much guidance and instruction in the learning process can lead to the illusion of better performance at first - but significantly "shallower" learning and worse performance in the long run.Get all the nerdy details here: “Productive Failure”: Why Early Floundering Leads to Better LearningMore 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

Improvisation has not traditionally been part of most young classical musicians' training. But should it be?Research suggests that the answer may be yes, and that there are a number of benefits that improvisation could provide. Not just to our playing, but to our mental state on stage as well.Read the full article for all the nerdy details: Why Improvisation Should Be Part of Every Young Musician's TrainingBut...if you're new to improvising, where does one begin?Well, whether you're a complete newbie, or an experienced improviser who's been frustrated by inconsistencies or feeling inhibited under pressure, have your instrument handy and block off 45-60 minutes on Wednesday, April 26th, from 2pm-3pm Eastern (calculate that in your timezone here).Violinist (and childhood Suzuki buddy) Christian Howes will be teaching a live, free, play-along class where he'll share three approaches to improvisation that can work for you, and explain why other methods may not have worked before. You'll also learn (and experience) the difference between learning harmony and doing improvisation. And you'll get to do lots of playing the whole time (muted, of course)!Sign up for the free improv session here: Free, live, play-along improvisation workshop with Christian HowesMore 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 know it can be really helpful to do practice performances or mock auditions in advance of a high-pressure performance. However, it can be really difficult to simulate the nerves and pressure of a real performance or audition. Because for some, a mock audition feels pretty high-stress. While for others, the experience doesn't even come close.However, there is some research in this area, and a couple studies provide insights on how to create more pressure in mocks and practice performances, and better prepare you for the live experience. Turns out some methods work better than others.Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:​Two Ways to Simulate Performance Pressure (and Which Works Best)Also, if you've been looking for some new tools for enhancing the effectiveness of your practice or performance preparation, and would like to do more performance practice alongside a supportive cohort of other musicians, you may be interested in the live, 5-week Performance Psych Essentials class that begins next weekend. Get all the details here: Performance Psych EssentialsMore 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 been a listener of this podcast for any period of time, you’ve probably already been influenced by today’s guest without realizing it - namely, performance science researcher Aaron Williamon.Aaron's research has produced influential insights in many different facets of a musician's life, from effective practice and performance preparation, to managing nerves, optimizing focus, musician health, technology and recording, and even the importance of how we present ourselves visually on stage.Whether you’re interested in practicing more effectively, looking for ways to tweak your preparation for an upcoming audition, or wondering how to help your students have a more positive and empowering experience on stage, I’ll bet my next box of Weetabix that you’ll take away some new details from today’s episode that will change some facet of your practice in the week ahead. The episode will also make you think more generally about the role (and value) of music in society, if you’ve had questions about that in recent years…Get all the nerdy details and this week's practice hacks below (there’s also a transcript with timestamps if you’d like to jump right to a few key points of interest):​Aaron Williamon: On Becoming a Better, Happier, and Healthier MusicianMore 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 spend a lot of time and energy avoiding mistakes in the practice room and on stage. And we work super hard to make sure our students avoid doing things the "wrong way" too. But what if that's actually holding us back?A 2008 study suggests that if you do things the "wrong way" the right way, you might actually be able to accelerate learning pretty dramatically. Wait, what?!Get all the nerdy details here (and be sure to read the full study - or at least the Discussion section - for key details on how to get the most out of this counterintuitive strategy): How Intentional Errors Could Accelerate LearningMore 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 it's easy to be optimistic about an audition or performance a month or two out, but things feel much different when the big day is now just one or two weeks away? Let alone one or two days?Willing ourselves to adopt a more positive, self-affirming, performance-enhancing headspace takes some effort. So it can be easier to just let our thoughts naturally turn to the dark side in the days, hours, or minutes before a performance.But a 2017 study (Westgate et al., 2017) identified a simple strategy that can make it easier to stay in a better headspace when we need it most. And all you need is your phone or a 3x5 notecard.Get all the nerdy details here:How to Stay in a More Positive Headspace Before PerformancesMore 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 ever watched the show Friends, you might remember the episode where Phoebe stayed on hold for two days with her phone company, because every time she was about to hang up, the voice on the other end would tell her "you're the next caller" and she didn't want to give up right before she might finally get to speak to a live representative.Have you ever had a similar sort of day in the practice room? Where you keep working on the same thing over and over again, without much to show for your efforts, but can't bring yourself to move on because of a hope that things might finally start to click if you just keep at it a tiny bit longer?Turns out that taking a particular kind of break might be just what you need to spark new ideas and find more effective solutions to that passage. Learn why, and how to use a "creative pause" to get unstuck and solve that tricky passage that has you stumped.Get Unstuck in the Practice Room With a “Creative Pause”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

A few weeks ago, my dog herniated a disk. He could barely sit, let alone walk and squat to do his business.The vet gave him some drugs (apparently dogs take codeine?!), and told us that he needed to be kept in his crate, pretty much 24/7 for the next few weeks, to allow his spine to heal.For the first week or so, it seemed like nothing was changing, and we began to worry - what do we do if this is how he is for the rest of his life? But one day, suddenly, he had a smidge more pep in his step. The next day, things were better still. And he has continued to improve with each passing day.Umm...and what does this have to do with music?Well, have you ever had one of those days (or weeks), where nothing seems to be improving, and you start to wonder if the real problem is simply a lack of ability or talent?It's easy for our mind to go there, but often, the issue is more a matter of having patience - and taking comfort in the knowledge that you're practicing the right way.And how do you know if you're practicing the right way?Whether it's learning how to play fast, be more in tune, nail those tricky shifts, or become a more expressive player, cellist Hans Jørgen Jensen shares insights on how to approach these issues in your daily practice.Hans Jørgen Jensen: On Practicing With the Mind, Not Just the FingersMore 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

Praising a student is easy. Giving critical feedback can be much tougher.I mean, how can we call their attention to the things that don't sound great, while still building up their confidence?Are feedback sandwiches (praise-criticism-praise) the answer? Or do we just praise their efforts? Or compliment mediocre work anyway?A 2014 study provides some clues, and highlights one specific ingredient that is important to include in whatever feedback we give students, that could make them feel more empowered and likely to not only accept our feedback but act on it too.Get all the nerdy details: How to Give Students Critical Feedback Without Crushing Their ConfidenceMore 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