The Bulletproof Musician

🎓 In this episode, we'll take a look at at 2017 ballet study which suggests that the simple element of choice could dramatically enhance learning outcomes.🧠 Discover:- Why giving students control over their learning process leads to improved performance- How autonomy boosts confidence and happiness in learners🚀 Whether you're an educator, parent, or lifelong learner, this episode will give you some ideas on how to tweak your approach to teaching and learning. Get the full article and all the nerdy details: Why Giving Students Choices Could Dramatically Enhance LearningMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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 wish you could be psychic for a moment and find out what audition committees are thinking about your performance?Where they focused more on the technical aspects of your playing? The musical aspects of your playing? Or something else entirely?A 2022 study (Kegelaers et al.) took a look at feedback provided by members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to participants in their academy program in a series of mock auditions, and categorized these comments into 14 categories and 3 main themes.The results were probably not what the academy fellows were expecting!Get all the nerdy details here:What Are Audition Committees Really Listening For?More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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 a short bout of exercise could enhance the effectiveness of your practice, by boosting encoding and memory consolidation.But...if you were going to try this, when should you exercise? Before practicing? After practicing? For how long? At what level of intensity?A 2023 study provides some answers!Click through for all the nerdy details and references:The Best Time to Exercise for Maximizing Practice Gains(Oh - and if you’ve settled into a rather sedentary lifestyle in recent years and haven’t exercised in a while, do remember to consult with your physician before jumping into any sort of vigorous high-intensity exercise all of a sudden!)More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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

Let's say you had only 60 minutes to practice in the next week. Would it be better to do 60 minutes all in one day? Or 10 minutes per day for six days?Would it make any difference at all?Teachers often tell us to space our practice out, instead of cramming, but how much of a difference does it really make? Two Brazilian studies provide some answers!Get all the nerdy details (and 500+ other practice tips) right here:How Important Is It Really to Practice Every Day?More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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 find yourself stumped by a tricky passage, where your fingers seem to be a little awkward and uncoordinated and they just don't do what they're supposed to do?Maybe you tried slowing things down, or practicing with note groupings or rhythms, or doing your darnedest to identify any hints of hidden tension that might be getting in the way. All of which are excellent things to try, of course - but did you ever try practicing that passage with your other hand?If you have, you know that this is often surprisingly helpful. And if you haven't, I think you'll enjoy adding this new tool to your toolkit. Either way, I think you'll be intrigued to learn more of the how's and why's about this phenomenon, known as bilateral transfer.Get all the nerdy details right here:Improve Coordination With Opposite-Side PracticeMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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

Nathan Cole, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's concertmaster, shares his two-decade journey through concertmaster auditions. He discusses how to cultivate confidence despite setbacks and the balance between planned and instinctive musical expression. Nathan emphasizes the importance of emotional feedback management and intentional performance techniques, using Brahms’s 4th Symphony as a case study. He also highlights the need for a solid preparation foundation and the challenges in maintaining a personal connection to the music while auditioning.

Whether it's picking a tempo that's too fast, or rushing a shift, it's easy for things to feel sped up on concert days when the adrenaline kicks in, and the butterflies are fluttering about.Is there any way to be a little more centered on stage, and feel more at ease? Rather than hurried and rushed?Today's studies provide a few clues about what we can do in advance, to slow things down and be less antsy on performance days, starting from the time we wake up, through our last moments backstage before it's time to play.Get all the nerdy details here:An Ironic Strategy to Stay Calmer and Avoid Rushing on Performance DaysMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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

In last week's episode, we looked at a study which illustrated how our own beliefs and expectations about ourselves can affect our performance.It turns out that our beliefs and expectations - and subsequently, performance - can also be shaped by our teachers/coaches.So...as teachers, how can we ensure that our natural snap judgments, beliefs, and expectations don't impede our students' learning?A 2008 study of NCAA basketball coaching legend Pat Summitt provides some clues.Get all the nerdy details:How Teachers' Expectations Can Shape Students' Learning & PerformanceMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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

Even from a very early age, I remember being told to imagine things going well. The idea, was that if I could imagine a positive outcome, I'd be more likely to expect good things, which would help me perform better.Is this just something that people say? Or do our expectations really have a meaningful effect on how we perform?A classic 1972 study illustrates the effect that positive or negative expectations can have on performance.Get all the nerdy details here: How Much Do Positive or Negative Expectations Affect Performance?More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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

It's probably fairly common for our minds to go on autopilot when we're brushing our teeth, mowing the lawn, or folding laundry. And that's probably not all that big of a problem.But have you ever found your mind going on autopilot in a performance, when you're playing something you've played for years, and it's begun to feel a little too familiar...or even a bit stale?Or maybe this happens in the practice room, when you're working on music that you've already been playing for years or decades?If you've struggled with keeping old music fresh, a 2009 study looks at a strategy that might not only help you stay engaged with this music, but keep the audience more engaged too.Get all the nerdy details here:How to Keep Music Feeling Fresh Through Repeated PerformancesMore from The Bulletproof MusicianGet 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