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The Bulletproof Musician — Science
The Bulletproof Musician

Ever wonder why you can practice for hours, sound great in the practice room, and still be frustratingly hit or miss on stage? Join performance psychologist and Juilliard alumnus/faculty Noa Kageyama, and explore research-based “practice hacks” for beating anxiety, practicing more effectively, and playing up to your full abilities when it matters most.

Copyright: © 2023 The Bulletproof Musician

Latest Episodes:

Why Practicing for Consistency May Be Less Effective Than You’d Think May 18, 2024

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.
* * *
When I was first starting out on the violin, I remember there were more fun games and practice challenges involved in my daily practice. Like free improvisation. Or playing with various weights and stuffed animals clipped to my bow.
And then at some point, practice became much more "serious." Where the goal was to play things correctly. And to practice the same thing over and over, not just until I could get it right, but as the saying goes, until I couldn't get it wrong.
But is this really the most efficient and effective approach to get to the consistency that we ultimately want on stage? Or is there a better way? (spoiler alert: there is 😁)
Get all the nerdy details here:
Why Practicing for Consistency May Be Less Effective Than You’d Think

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

Are Great Sight-Readers Born or Made? May 12, 2024

Show notes

In the age-old debate about nature vs. nurture, I know the correct answer for most things is that it's a blend of both.
But sight-reading, at least for me, always felt like one of those things which leaned more on the nature side than nurture. Some folks just seem to have a knack for it, while I always struggled.
But what does the research say? Could I have gotten better at sight reading if I applied myself more diligently?
And what would that have even looked like anyways? Are there specific things that I could have worked on, that would have made me a better sight reader?
A 2014 meta-analysis provides some clues and pinpoints a few specific skills that could help you improve your sight-reading ability as well.
Get all the nerdy details right here:
Are Great Sight-Readers Born or Made?

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

Michael Bridge: On Cultivating Expressive (vs Impressive) Virtuosity May 05, 2024

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.
* * *
I think we’ve all had teachers tell us that the technical and expressive aspects of music-making are inextricably connected, and that we shouldn’t just work on technique, and expect to add the expressive details later.
But how exactly do you do this? Like, what does it look like to connect both the technical and expressive aspects of music-making into a practice session?
Michael Bridge is a virtuoso performer of an instrument that you probably don’t know very much about. I’m not even going to tell you what it is quite yet, to make sure your brain doesn’t jump to any premature conclusions. 😁
I’ll just say, that in this episode, you’ll learn how to use your daily practice to develop more expressive virtuosity (as opposed to impressive virtuosity). And you’ll also learn more about “horizontal” playing (as opposed to vertical playing), how to create more compelling and expressive phrases by “cheating” with your dynamics, the four key elements of effective performances, and much more.
Get all the nerdy details here:
Michael Bridge: On Cultivating Expressive (vs Impressive) Virtuosity
*NOTE: The audio in this episode is optimized for voice, rather than music, so my apologies in advance for the portions where the sound of the music is less than awesome. If you'd like to hear Michael's playing as it should be heard, check out the performance videos on his website here: https://www.michaelbridge.ca/music

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

How Much of an Effect Does Hydration Have on Practice & Performance? Apr 28, 2024

Show notes

Everyone seems to be pretty good about staying hydrated nowadays with the popularity of reusable water bottles and a growing number of public water refilling stations in schools, airports, etc.
But how much of a difference does hydration make when it comes to practicing and performing more effectively? How exactly might we benefit from being better hydrated? How dehydrated would we need to be to start seeing negative effects? And what would those negative effects even be?
There are a number of studies that provide some clues on the physical and mental effects of varying levels of dehydration.
Get all the nerdy details here:
How Much of an Effect Does Hydration Have on Practice & 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

Feel Like You’re Getting Worse? Here’s Why That May Not Just Be Your Imagination. Apr 21, 2024

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.
* * *
Ever have one of those days where it feels like the more you practice, the worse you sound?
Or perhaps you've had a lesson with a student, where the more you try to help, the more frustrated and overwhelmed they seem to get?
Sometimes it only feels like we're getting worse or making things worse, and the reality is that this is just part of the learning process. Kind of like what happens when you clean out your closet, and have to make things messier, before you can make it better.
But sometimes this is not just in our imagination, and we could actually be regressing or slowing down the learning process! 😳 Fortunately, there's a very specific reason why this might be happening. As well as specific strategies we can use to get around this issue.
Get all the nerdy details right here:
Feel Like You’re Getting Worse? Here’s Why That May Not Just Be Your Imagination.

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

An Unconventional Way to Enhance Your Focus in the Practice Room Apr 14, 2024

Show notes

As you might imagine, there are a ton of research papers out there.
Some are exceedingly useful. Others are interesting, but of questionable usefulness (like the one which explores the physics of buttered toast tending to land butter-side down).
And then there are those which might seem silly at first, but make you think, and end up being quite useful (like the one which found that cows which have been given names produce more milk).
So I thought it might be fun to look at a study in this latter category today.
It’s a study that involves cute kitten and puppy photos, but is fundamentally about enhancing focus and performance on tasks that involve fine motor skills and attention.
So if you find that your attention tends to wander in the practice room, and you could use a little boost in your focus from time to time, this study might give you another tool in your attention control toolbox to try out.
Get all the nerdy details here:
An Unconventional Way to Enhance Your Focus in the Practice Room

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

Frank Almond: On Work, Fun, and the Importance of Both in Dealing with Adversity Apr 07, 2024

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.
* * *
When you think of your favorite musicians or performers, how much fun do you think they’re having on stage? And how much fun do you think they have in the practice room?
Wait...fun in the practice room is allowed? 🤨
I recently edited and polished up an old 2016 interview from the archives with violinist Frank Almond, who shares some of the ways in which he integrates fun and play into his practice routine.
It’s reassuring to hear why this should not only be allowed, but encouraged. So if your practice sessions tend to be all work and no play, I hope this episode will not only give you permission to experience more joy in your daily practice, but also give you some ideas on how to make that happen.
Get all the nerdy details here:
Frank Almond: On Work, Fun, and the Importance of Both in Dealing with Adversity

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

How the Wrong Kind of Praise Could Increase a Student’s Feelings of Shame Mar 31, 2024

Show notes

Whether it's our children, our students, or our pets, I think it's pretty natural and automatic to want to offer praise for a job well done.
We're happy for them, and pleased to see them do well. But what happens when they fall short in some way? Whether it's a subpar performance, a mediocre grade, or a mistake on the carpet, does our praise help to offset the pain (or shame) of these moments? Or do things not work quite this way?
A 2014 study reveals some interesting details on the specific kind of praise that works best, and the kind that can actually increase a child or student's feelings of shame - especially if they are already struggling with confidence and self-esteem.
Get all the nerdy details here:
How the Wrong Kind of Praise Could Increase a Student’s Feelings of Shame

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

Can We Learn Faster by Thinking Less? Mar 24, 2024

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.
* * *
Much like hair, there are good practice days, and there are not-so-good practice days. 🤣
The bad practice days can be filled with frustration, irritation, and maybe even a hint of shame. They can make you lose hope, question whether you have what it takes, and feel like giving up. At least for the day, if not sometimes longer.
On the flip side, the good practice days, can be pretty terrific. You feel confident, capable, and think to yourself, yes, you do deserve to have some guacamole on your burrito bowl!
How can we have more of those good days?
Well, it seems that an external focus of attention during practice could make a real difference.
What does that mean exactly?
Click below to get all the nerdy details:
Learn Faster by Thinking Less?

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

To Play More Accurately, Change Your Focus? Mar 17, 2024

Show notes

When it comes to improving technical aspects of your playing, it's easy to assume that this is mostly a physical issue. Where the solution is to do more practice, and more "correct" repetitions.
But what if part of the problem was mental?
A 2009 golf study (and many others both before and since!) suggest that what we're thinking about when we're playing can affect our accuracy quite a bit. And that the thing we think we should be thinking about may actually be the least helpful!
Get all the nerdy details here:
To Play More Accurately, Change Your Focus?

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

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