The Bulletproof Musician

Latest Episodes:

Handling Conflicts in Ensembles: A Few Things We May Be Able to Learn From the Research on Marital Satisfaction...? Aug 23, 2020

Show notes

It's been said that being in a quartet is like being in a marriage. And like any relationship, there's bound to be conflict from time to time. Research suggests that how we respond to these conflicts may have a significant impact on our relationship satisfaction, not to mention our mood afterwards. So might there be a few things we can apply from the research on marital satisfaction to having more satisfying relationships with our musical colleagues too?

Handling Conflicts in Ensembles: A Few Things We May Be Able to Learn From the Research on Marital Satisfaction...?

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

Is This Really a Significant Factor in How We Choose Our Teachers and Mentors? Aug 16, 2020

Show notes

Logic would suggest that when choosing a teacher or mentor, we would select people based more on their expertise and advising experience than anything else. But is this what we actually do? A recent study suggests that we may actually be more influenced by flattery and positive comments about our abilities than we'd like to think...

Is This Really a Significant Factor in How We Choose Our Teachers and Mentors?

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 It May Be Useful to Laugh a Bit More in the Months Ahead Aug 09, 2020

Show notes

It's often said that laughter is the best medicine. But is there any truth to this? Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be a ton of research on this, but a recent study does provide some clues...

Why It May Be Useful to Laugh a Bit More in the Months Ahead

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

Stephen Hough: On the Question “Is Memorizing Music Really All That Important?” Aug 02, 2020

Show notes

Almost every musician has either had a memory slip or worried about having one at some point in their lives. So how important is it really to play from memory? Is it just one of those things we do for show, or is there real value in memorizing?

Pianist Stephen Hough weighs in on this question, and as you can imagine, the answer is rather complex and nuanced - but certainly a meaningful one for us all to think about!

Stephen Hough: On the Question “Is Memorizing Music Really All That Important?”

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 Keep the Critic in Your Head From Wrecking Your Practice Session Jul 26, 2020

Show notes

I think we all assume that negative self-talk is bad, but the research is actually somewhat mixed. As in, there are some studies in which negative self-talk is associated with the same or better performance.

How could that be? Well, a recent study suggests that the answer may lie in how we respond to this inner critic. And there might be a simple tweak we can make to our inner dialogue that could help us become more resilient in the face of the bully that lives in our head.

How to Keep the Critic in Your Head From Wrecking Your Practice Session

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 the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight - PART 2 Jul 19, 2020

Show notes

Have you ever tried to experiment with random (aka interleaved) practice, but quit, because you weren't sure if you were doing it right? Or worried that you were letting bad habits stay in your hands, because you were moving on to other things too quickly?

Clarinetist Christine Carter is back to answer many of the most common questions people encounter in trying to incorporate more interleaved practice into their daily practice routine.

Oh, and if the voice in your head is like "what the heck is interleaved practice?", this is going to change your practice week for sure!

Why the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight - PART 2

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 Email Hack That Could Increase the Likelihood of Getting a Reply (and Possibly Make the World a Slightly Better Place for Everyone Too) Jul 12, 2020

Show notes

Ever send an email to someone, and get a little bummed out (or annoyed) when you never hear back?

Research suggests that the way we close our emails can have more of an impact than we realize - and in some pretty surprising and unexpected ways that go beyond whether we get a response or not.

An Email Hack That Could Increase the Likelihood of Getting a Reply (and Possibly Make the World a Slightly Better Place for Everyone 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

Jason Haaheim: On “Deliberate Lessons” and How to Become a Better Teacher to Yourself Jul 05, 2020

Show notes

Like many other musicians, perhaps you've recorded your weekly lessons in the past. Or had a parent who recorded them.

But given how much time it takes to listen back, how useful is this really? Met timpanist Jason Haaheim explains why he believes recording and transcribing your lessons is essential, and why this can significantly increase the effectiveness of your daily practice.

Jason Haaheim: On “Deliberate Lessons” and How to Become a Better Teacher to Yourself

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

3 Questions to Ask Yourself That Could Boost the Effectiveness of Your Next Practice Session Jun 28, 2020

Show notes

Ever wonder why some people seem to always be coming up with effective and creative ways to overcome challenges, and some folks get stuck kind of going in circles even though they're putting in a ton of effort and energy?

Research suggests that there may be a particular "strategic mindset" (and a few questions) that lends itself to thinking about problems in a more effective, strategic way. And that we could all use this to become more effective problem-solvers both in and out of the practice room.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself That Could Boost the Effectiveness of Your Next Practice Session

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

Having Difficulty Motivating Yourself to Practice? Research Suggests That Copycatting a Friend Could Help. Jun 21, 2020

Show notes

Ever find yourself struggling with motivation and difficulty following through? Whether it's practicing or exercising, research suggests that asking a friend or acquaintance for advice could lead to more success than simply trying to think up strategies to try on our own, without it coming from a friend.

Having Difficulty Motivating Yourself to Practice? Research Suggests That Copycatting a Friend Could Help.

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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