The Bulletproof Musician

Latest Episodes:

Evidence That Most of Us Are Terrible at Knowing When to End Conversations Mar 28, 2021

Show notes

Ever find yourself in a conversation that you think should have ended some time ago, but you're still hanging in there because you think the other person wants to continue, and you don't want to be rude? What if that person actually wished the conversation were over too, but is sticking around so as not to be rude to you?

A new study suggests that this sort of thing might be happening more than you'd think - and that we may all be a lot worse at knowing when to end conversations than you'd think.

Evidence That Most of Us Are Terrible at Knowing When to End Conversations

More from The Bulletproof Musician

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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.
Live and self-paced courses

“Zoom Fatigue” - Why It Happens, and a Couple Things You Can Do About It Mar 21, 2021

Show notes

Have you been experiencing "Zoom fatigue?" There isn't a ton of research on this phenomenon quite yet - but a paper did come out recently identifying four potential causes, and a couple tips on how to manage this. I tried one of the Zoom fatigue "hacks" and found it surprisingly helpful!

“Zoom Fatigue” - Why It Happens, and a Couple Things You Can Do About 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

A Simple Writing Exercise That Could Help You Perform More Confidently Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

Some athletes have noted that visualizing past successes has helped them get into a more positive and confident headspace before competition. Which makes perfect sense, but is there any research evidence supporting this? A 2013 study provides some clues, and tests out a simple writing exercise that could help you present yourself more effectively - especially in performance situations where you are being evaluated by an expert (e.g. auditions, juries, competitions).

A Simple Writing Exercise That Could Help You Perform More Confidently

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

Astrid Schween: On Cultivating Routines, Curiosity, and 800 Different Spiccatos Mar 07, 2021

Show notes

Cellist Astrid Schween (Juilliard String Quartet) shares some of the daily routines she relies on to set herself up for a productive day of practice, as well as how to approach new repertoire, remain open to one's colleagues' ideas in rehearsal, and much more.

Astrid Schween: On Cultivating Routines, Curiosity, and 800 Different Spiccatos

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 NOT to Support a Student Who Is Struggling (and What TO Do as Well) Feb 28, 2021

Show notes

This week we take a look at a study which shows how a teacher's mindset beliefs (growth vs. fixed) can affect the way they try to support or console a student who is struggling. And how we can inadvertently do more harm than good, even if we have the best of intentions!

How NOT to Support a Student Who Is Struggling (and What TO Do as Well)

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

Want Your Students to Be More Engaged, Take More Risks, and Get Better Grades in Class? Here’s Why Your Mindset Matters. Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

You're probably familiar with the idea of a growth vs. fixed mindset, and how this affects your own learning and performance. But recent research has begun to look at how at teacher's mindset beliefs affect the learning and performance of their students too. Spoiler alert: it matters!

Want Students to Be More Engaged, Take More Risks, and Get Better Grades in Class? Here’s Why Your Mindset Matters.

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

Specific Times When Smart Goals Can Be Counterproductive (and What Strategy to Use Instead) Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

You've probably been told that when setting goals, they need to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timed). But recent research suggests that there are specific times when SMART goals can actually be counterproductive, where vague, open-ended goals can actually be more effective.

What?!

Specific Times When Smart Goals Can Be Counterproductive (and What Strategy to Use Instead)

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

Kris Chesky: On Hearing Health, Earplugs, and How the Best Strategy for Protecting Young Musicians’ Ears Might Help Them Become Better Musicians Too Feb 07, 2021

Show notes

I think all musicians are much more aware of tendonitis and other playing-related injuries than even just 10 or 20 years ago, but one health issue that isn't on many of our radars quite yet is noise-induced hearing loss. As in, hearing loss that results from exposure to loud music.

Is this something that classical musicians need to be mindful of? And if so, what can we do to protect our ears?

Kris Chesky: On Hearing Health, Earplugs, and How the Best Strategy for Protecting Young Musicians’ Ears Might Help Them Become Better Musicians 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

Does a Musician’s Physical Movements and Gestures Affect How Musical We Think They Are? Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

We tend to think of music as a sound-based art form (as opposed to dance, for instance, which has more of a visual component). But does a musician's physical movements on stage affect our impression of the performance more than we realize? Like, does a more physically communicative performance appear to sound more musical - even if it isn't?

Does a Musician’s Physical Movements and Gestures Affect How Musical We Think They Are?

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 Cultivate Better Rhythm and Avoid Clipping Notes (and Rests) Short Jan 24, 2021

Show notes

Research suggests that in general, we may have a tendency to cut notes or rests short, and come in early, rather than late. If you've found yourself struggling to keep accurate time on long notes or in rests, a 2010 study tested a technique that can help you develop much more accurate timing and cultivate a stronger sense of internal rhythm.

How to Cultivate Better Rhythm and Avoid Clipping Notes (and Rests) Short

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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