The Bulletproof Musician

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When Is the Best Time to Start Memorizing a New Piece? Jul 30, 2023

Show notes

Like many other young kids, I never really thought twice about memorizing music. In the course of working on a piece, it usually just happened.
Of course, at some point, memorizing music becomes more difficult for everyone. The repertoire gets more challenging, you start having lots of repertoire to learn at the same time, and performance deadlines don't leave you with as much time as you'd like.
And this is when you probably began memorizing music on purpose. Intentionally. Using specific memorization strategies (a few linked below).
But this leads to a related question that I don't think we often ask. Which is, when should we start the process of memorizing a new piece? Once it's mostly in your fingers? When you can play it at tempo? A month before the performance? Two?
A 2002 study of singers provides some clues.
Get all the nerdy details here:
When Is the Best Time to Start Memorizing a New Piece?

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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.
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The "Lazy" Person’s Guide to Mastering Self-Control Jul 23, 2023

Show notes

Whether it's sticking to a regular practice routine, studying a little bit every day instead of cramming the night before an exam, or eating more healthily, I think it's pretty universal to wish that we had a little more self-discipline.
Because that's the key to doing these things consistently, right?
Well...what if there were an easier way to avoid temptations and distractions? One that didn't require as much willpower? And made it easier to practice, or go to the gym, or steer clear of TikTok when doing homework?
A 2016 study provides some insights on how to work towards your goals more easily. With less willpower required.
Get all the nerdy details here:
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Mastering Self-Control

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

Two Things Experts Do Differently When Practicing Jul 16, 2023

Show notes

Whether it's changing your diet, investing your money, or practicing, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if you're doing it "right" because meaningful change usually happens gradually over time.

I guess in an ideal world, we'd be able to pick a strategy, hop into a time machine, and see how it pans out in the future. And then go back to the present, pick another strategy, peek at the future again, and see which worked better.

But for now, there's a 2001 study that basically does the time travel thing for us. Where it compares the practice behaviors of the best free throw shooters and that of the worst free throw shooters to see if they do anything different.

Spoiler alert, there is a difference. Two important differences that we can apply to music practice.

It's actually one of the specific things we're going to work on in the live practice "bootcamp" that starts this week (details here).

But whether you plan to join in or not, do give this week's practice hack a try and see what you think. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of effective practice, and an approach to practicing that can completely transform how you feel about practicing - especially if you've always had a sort of tolerate/hate relationship with practicing. 😅

Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:

Two Things Experts Do Differently When Practicing

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

On Building an Audience in 2023: Sumina Studer & Drew Forde Jul 09, 2023

Show notes

So…everyone (and their dog 😅) seems to have a social media presence nowadays - whether on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, etc. But how important is it for musicians today to embrace social media, really?

Can growing an online audience have tangible benefits to one’s career? Or is the reality different from how it appears from the outside?

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a sizable online following, and whether it’s worth taking the leap, I think you’ll enjoy today’s episode with violinist Sumina Studer (340k followers) and violist Drew Forde (160k followers).

Spoiler alert: it turns out that the experience can be a nuanced mix of positives and negatives, and be different for each person too.
Get all the nerdy details here:
On Building an Audience in 2023: Sumina Studer & Drew Forde

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 to Make Practicing Feel Less Like a Chore Jul 02, 2023

Show notes

Effective practice isn't always easy or fun.
But a 2010 study reveals a psychological hack that could make longer and more challenging practice sessions, rehearsals, or lessons feel easier and more appealing than shorter and less effortful practice sessions. Which sounds totally backwards, but could come in handy if you have students who have a difficult time getting themselves to practice. Or if you have difficulty getting yourself to practice for that matter! 😅
Get all the nerdy details here:
How to Make Practicing Feel Less Like a Chore

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

Self-Compassion: Does It Help or Hurt Performance? Jun 25, 2023

Show notes

Ever notice how critical the voice in your head can be? That voice can make us feel pretty crummy at times - but is it also responsible for pushing us to strive for better?
If we had been less self-abusive and more self-compassionate along the way, would we be where we are today? Or is it possible that we would have advanced even further, if we had been a little kinder to ourselves?
There has been increased research attention in the area of self-compassion in recent years. A recurring question amongst high-performers is whether it's "safe" to be more self-compassionate, or if greater self-compassion could lead to a drop in one's competitive edge.
I have a study for you today (Breines & Chen, 2012) that provides some clues to this question. And if you're curious how self-compassionate you are, there's also a short test you can take that will provide an answer!
Get all the nerdy details here:
Self-Compassion: Does It Help or Hurt 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

Why Singing Could Enhance Your Daily Practice Jun 18, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever studied with a teacher who encouraged you to sing during your practice?
There are lots of reasons for this, but aside from doing it in a lesson when my teacher made me sing in front of them, I never integrated any singing into my daily practice. It just felt silly, and I wasn't sold on the benefits.
Looking back, of course, I would have given it more of a chance. And if you need a little help convincing yourself, a 2017 study and 2021 study provide a bit of evidence suggesting this may be a worthwhile addition to your daily routine.
Get all the nerdy details here: Why Singing Could Enhance Your Daily Practice

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

For More Effective Practice, Try…Longer…Pauses Jun 11, 2023

Show notes

When you to students practicing, there's one thing that is often conspicuously absent.
Silence.
You'll typically hear a good bit of repetition - but not a lot of quiet time or space between repetitions.
And why does this matter? Well, studies have found that too little space between repetitions - or too short an "inter-trial interval" can actually inhibit learning.
So...is there an optimal length of time to inject between repetitions?
Get all the nerdy details here:
For More Effective Practice, Try…Longer…Pauses

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

George Waddell: On the Hidden Consequences of Music Competitions Jun 04, 2023

Show notes

We’ve all probably (at least secretly) enjoyed watching shows like American Idol or The Voice at one point or another.

But what has your experience (or that of your students) been as a participant in competitions? Whether it be small local competitions, or a regional, national or international competitions, have your experiences been largely positive? Or not so positive?

You might have some strong feelings about competitions, and whether your students should enter competitions or not. And so in this month’s conversation, I chat with both a researcher and a musician who can speak to different aspects of this question, and help you better prepare yourself, your students, and their parents for the music competition experience.

Get all the nerdy details in the full episode below (there’s also a transcript with timestamps if you’d like to jump right to a few key points of interest):

George Waddell: On the Hidden Consequences of Music Competitions

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 to Make Mental Practice Even More Effective May 28, 2023

Show notes

Whether it's running through a piece in your head to see if it's memorized, or imagining different fingering options while taking a practice break, you've probably used mental imagery to supplement your physical practice at one point or another.
Research in this area suggests that mental practice can indeed enhance learning and performance beyond physical practice alone, but how do we know if we're doing it right?
A 2015 study (Debarnot et al.) identified two things that boosted the effectiveness of participants' mental practice pretty substantially. And it wasn't anything crazy that would require much time or effort. Just a couple simple tweaks that you could use to level up your mental practice this week.
Get all the nerdy details here: How to Make Mental Practice Even More Effective

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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