The Bulletproof Musician

Both giving and receiving feedback can be tricky (and icky). And if you've found feedback you've received to be kind of vague or otherwise unhelpful, research suggests that a tiny change to the language you use when requesting feedback can elicit much more helpful and useful comments. Change This One Word to Get More Useful Feedback From Peers and ColleaguesMore 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

Deliberate or "deep" practice is widely acknowledged to be a critical factor in cultivating talent and ability. But at what age is this something that can be learned? Is this something that middle-school-aged students can learn to do, and sustain as a habit? Can Young Students Be Taught to Engage in Deliberate Practice 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

Ever freak out about what exactly you're going to do when you finish school, and how you're going to get there? Or maybe you're on the other side of school, but struggling a bit to find your unique voice and cut through the noise? Career development guru Angela Beeching shares tips and insights on how to make the most of the resources around you, and craft a career that's more fully "you." Angela Beeching: On the Keys to Developing a Career That’s Totally “You”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

Many athletes and musicians engage in quirky rituals before each show. Do these really work? And if so, why? Quirky Pre-Performance Rituals: Do They Really Work?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

Staying in a good headspace when you have a lot of time to kill before a concert or audition can be a real challenge. But research suggests that listening to a particular kind of music could help. Get into a Better Pre-Audition Headspace with a "Heroic" PlaylistMore 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

Is it more productive to front-load easy problems or to work on difficult ones? Well, research suggests that working on easy problems can be deceptively productive (and satisfying!) in the short term, but less productive in the long-term. Why the “Task Completion Bias” Could Give You the Illusion of Productive Practice, but Make You Less Productive in the Long-Term BTW, I mention Met percussionist Rob Knopper's article on practice, which is linked in the post above, but which you can go to directly here.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

There's a legitimate reason (the "curse of expertise") why it can sometimes be difficult for experts to teach less experienced players how to learn skills that the expert has long ago encoded into their "muscle memory." But research suggests there may be a way to get around this and deliver more useful advice to students who are struggling to learn a new skill.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

High chinrest? Low chinrest? Centered? Shoulder rest? Shoulder pad/sponge? Or no shoulder rest at all? Finding the right setup can feel like a bewildering process of blind trial and error. But as Claire Stefani explains in this month's conversation, there are fundamental biomechanics principles involved that can guide your search for the optimal setup. Claire Stefani: On Chinrests, Shoulder Rests, and How the Right Setup Can Facilitate More Effortless, Tension-free PlayingMore 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

Research suggests that positive "trigger words" can help you get into character more effectively, and facilitate more expressive performances. How to Use Positive “Trigger Words” for More Expressive 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

Need to get a new piece learned faster? Here's a study which suggests we might be able to give ourselves a head start by gesturing while watching a video (like air guitar). The “Gesturing Effect": A Way to Learn New Skills More Quickly?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