The Bulletproof Musician

I think we would all say that we value creativity and would enjoy having more creative students. But is this actually reflected in our actions?Research suggests that we may not be as appreciative and supportive of creative students as we'd like to think. Wait...how can that be?Get all the nerdy details and this week's practice hack here:Do You Have a Bias Against Creative Students (Without Realizing It)?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

You know that famous quote attributed to Debussy? The one that goes something like "Music is the space between the notes."?I don't know about you, but I was certainly guilty of compress things and rushing through these spaces on many an occasion...And of course, there's an awful lot of music within each note as well. Which I also tended to rush through and pay too little attention to. (And where was I in such a rush to get to? No idea. Maybe the end of the piece so I could get off stage? 🤣)This might seem like a really abstract concept at first. So it's the sort of thing that can be easy to push to the back burner, because there are always so many notes to learn on your music stand. But paying more attention to the life within each note can make practicing and performing a much more engaging and gratifying experience. And improve your sense of rhythm and phrasing as well.In other words, it's worth keeping on the front burner, even if just at a simmer.Umm...ok, but what does this mean or look like exactly? In today's episode, violist Steven Tenenbom (Orion Quartet, Curtis, Juilliard, Mannes, Bard) explains, and illustrates what this means using concrete musical examples.Get all the nerdy details right here:Steven Tenenbom: On Rhythm, Phrasing, and the Life Within Each NoteMore 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

The legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti famously had a quirky backstage ritual that he needed to complete before he could go on stage.Apparently, he would wander around backstage, scanning the floor until he found a bent nail, which would serve as his good luck charm for that performance.It sounds like a silly sort of thing to do, and it’s hard to imagine Pavarotti needing much in the way of luck, but could this have been more helpful than we think?A 2010 study provides some answers and insights into whether good luck charms and superstitious rituals could help enhance your next performance or audition.Spoiler alert - Pavarotti might have been onto something!Of course, there’s more to performing optimally under pressure than good luck charms and superstitious too. There are actually a handful of concrete, learnable skills - like anxiety regulation, attention control, grounded confidence, and retrieval-oriented practice - that can help make performing funner and a much more positive experience, even if you’ve struggled with this for years.If you’d like to develop these skills in 2024, that will be the focus of the upcoming live, online, 4-week Performance Psych Essentials class. Registration ends today, Sunday, Jan. 21st (2024), at 11:59pm Pacific time. Get the class dates and details here: Register for Performance Psych EssentialsBut if now’s not the right time for a class like this, that’s ok too! In the meantime, you can get all the nerdy details about this week’s study and practice hack right here:Can Good Luck Charms and Superstitious Rituals Enhance 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

The other day, I had to parallel park in a crowded neighborhood with narrow streets. I’m usually pretty good about getting it right the first time, but this time, I was feeling a bit of pressure from the antsy drivers lined up behind me, who couldn’t pass until I finished parking.You can probably imagine what happened next, but the gist is that I bonked the curb and had to reset and do it all over as everyone behind me watched and (presumably) rolled their eyes at this doofus who can’t park.I just experienced “choking.” And I’m assuming you’ve had some experience with this phenomenon too, whether it’s parking or performing.It’s tempting to assume that we can prevent choking by simply practicing more. But it turns out it’s a little more interesting than that, and there are several key skills that go into performing your best under pressure. There’s retrieval-oriented practice. Anxiety regulation skills. And learning how to get into a performance-enhancing headspace, and stay focused on the right things on stage too.(BTW, if you’d like to develop these skills in 2024, that will be the focus of the upcoming live, online, 4-week Performance Psych Essentials class. Registration begins Sunday, Jan. 14 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 21. Get the class dates and details here: Register for Performance Psych Essentials)Then again, there’s a 2013 study, which suggests that a simple 30-second performance hack could prevent you from choking too. Hmm...could it really be that easy?Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:A Simple Technique to Prevent Choking (Which Sounds Like it Couldn't Possibly 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

In the previous episode we looked at at study which suggested that having goals is good - but we’re more likely to achieve our goals if we write them down and create action plans as well (you can check that out here if you missed it).Still, whether we write them down or not, New Year’s resolutions and our most well-intentioned plans can start to go off the rails pretty quickly.So if you’ve found yourself slipping already, know that it’s not just you!And there’s no need to beat yourself up about this either. Because in all likelihood it’s not you, your commitment, or your willpower that’s the issue. It might just be that there’s a small (but often-overlooked) step missing from your goal-setting process that could make all the difference.Get all the nerdy details right here:WOOP: A Better Way to Set Goals?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

Explore the impact of writing down goals and the role of accountability in achieving them. Discover the positive impact of having an accountability buddy in improving your practice routine.

It's not great to make mistakes on stage, but how big a deal are mistakes when you're learning something new?Is it best to avoid them right from Day 1? Or is it ok to set the bar a little lower in the early days of learning a new skill?A 2011 study tests out two different approaches to learning - setting the bar high vs. setting the bar low - and provides some clues on which approach might be better for us (as well as our students).Get all the nerdy details here: How Important Is “Perfect Practice” When Learning Something New?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

Discover the benefits of identifying and using your 'signature strengths' in this podcast. Explore the Realize 2 model and learn how utilizing your strengths can enhance goal achievement and well-being. Find out how to identify your unique strengths through self-reflection, with examples from the world of cricket. Balance weaknesses while showcasing and utilizing your strengths for optimal performance.

Is it possible to truly rid yourself of performance anxiety? Is practicing less as you get closer to a performance really better? How do you get past doubts and other mental roadblocks when returning from a significant playing injury? Is it a better use of time to focus on our strengths or our weaknesses? Why is it so important for us to take lessons with or play for musicians who play instrument other than our own?If you’ve ever tried Googling questions like this for an answer, today’s episode is for you. 😅Colorado Symphony principal clarinetist Jason Shafer has enjoyed an active performing and teaching career, but two years ago began pursuing a master’s degree in performance psychology seeking to integrate these concepts more deeply into his teaching and performing. He joins me today to share some insights on how we can all be healthier practicers and more confident and courageous performers.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

When you put a lot of time and energy into preparing for something that’s important to you, and things don’t go the way you hoped, it’s pretty natural to feel deflated or discouraged afterwards. And you might even have difficulty getting back into the flow of things, or finding the confidence to try again.Heck, we can experience some version of this even a spectator. Believe it or not, researchers have found that we eat more unhealthily (e.g. 10% more calories and 16% more saturated fat than normal) the day after our favorite team has a tough loss, and we eat more healthily on days after a big win (5% fewer calories and 9% less saturated fat than normal).But while some athletes respond to a subpar performances with more subpar performances, others bounce back and perform even better.How do they do this?A 2003 study provides some important clues. Get all the nerdy details here:A Mindset Shift That Can Help You Respond to Setbacks With Even Better 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