The Bulletproof Musician

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

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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

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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

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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

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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?

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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

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Maintaining good rhythm and timing is often a real challenge. Especially since our mind can be pretty squirrely and make us think we're totally playing in time when we're not (and get an earful from our pianist, quartet-mates, or conductor).

Research suggests that we may actually be able to heighten the accuracy of our timing perception if we keep time with our bodies too, not just in our heads. Err...and what does that mean exactly?

For Better Rhythm and Timing, Count With Your Body Too, Not Just Your Mind

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You know those times when life or stress sucks you into one of those negative thought spirals, where you start getting more and more stressed and worried and can't seem to focus on anything else?

Recent research suggests that there's at least one way to shift your brain into a more positive headspace. And the nice thing is that it's pretty simple. And doesn't involve much thinking or require you to wrestle your thoughts into submission.

Stressed and Having Difficulty Getting Out of a Negative Thought Spiral? Here's How (and Why) Mother Nature May Be Able to Help

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If practicing has felt a little stale lately, and you're looking for a bit of inspiration to jump start your routine, here are some of the most intriguing and potentially transformative things we learned on the podcast in 2020.

Make Practicing in 2021 a Little More Effective With These Top Tips From 2020

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There's a natural tendency for us to want to put our best foot forward online, whether in Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. But sometimes, we can end up presenting an overly idealized version of ourselves that isn't really true and authentic.

Recent research suggests that this can have an effect on our mood and various aspects of well-being. And that posting more authentically, might actually leave us feeling better.

A Better Way to Present Ourselves on Social Media? A Simple Adjustment for Improved Mood and Greater Well-Being.

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Presenting ourselves effectively to others is a really important skill. After all, there are a lot of benefits to being well-liked, and well-respected.

But I think we all intuitively know that achieving both likability and respect is kind of a tricky thing. In that bragging might achieve respect, but come at the expense of likability.

So what about the humblebrag? Is that a viable way to soften the brag a bit, so as to establish our competence but remain likable? Or is regular old bragging actually better?

Regular Bragging vs. Humblebragging: Which Works Better?

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Feel like you need a break or a vacation? But just can't take one at the moment, for one reason or another?

Research suggests that there is a way for us to gain some of the mental and emotional benefits of a vacation - without actually taking one!

Need a Break? Here’s a Simple Way to Boost Your Mood and Feel More Refreshed After a Long Week of Practice.

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Guitarist David Leisner describes his journey with focal dystonia - and what he learned that enabled him to regain full use of his hands and fingers after years of being unable to play.

David Leisner: On Overcoming Focal Dystonia and Learning to Play With Ease

* * *

A quick heads-up that next weekend is the annual Beyond Practicing 2-for-1 event!

If you’ve been wanting to perform more consistently, but haven’t been sure exactly what adjustments to make to your practice to make that happen, or maybe you’ve just felt stuck in a bit of a practice rut lately, next weekend might be the ideal time to start learning the mental skills and practice techniques that can help you get where you’re trying to go.

To learn more about Beyond Practicing and the 2-for-1 offer, go to bulletproofmusician.com/beyondpracticing

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In this 2013 interview pulled from the archives, Juilliard viola faculty member Toby Appel shares insights on practicing, teaching, and some of the things he's been grateful for over the course of his career.

NOTE: This was recorded way back before I had the kind of gear that's necessary for capturing interviews, so the audio quality was pretty subpar, you could hear kids playing outside, etc. I've since remastered it to remove background noise, but it's still a little funky. It may help to refer to the transcript, which you can access here:

 Toby Appel: On Learning to Trust Yourself

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We've all heard how helpful a tool mental practice can be for honing and refining the level of our playing away from our instruments. But how useful a tool is it for memorizing music?

How Effective Is Mental Practice for Memorizing New Pieces?

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Learning how to manage our emotional health and recharge our batteries is an important part of cultivating mental toughness and resilience. "Awe walks" could be a simple, quick, research-based strategy to try that might be a useful strategy to add to your toolbox.

Stressed, Anxious, and Feeling a Little Burned Out? Here’s How an “Awe Walk” Could Help.

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Bob Fisher has set 25 Guinness world records in free throw shooting - all after the age of 50. How did he become so good at shooting free throws?

He once said that "anyone could do what I do if they knew what I know." And in this episode, he shares some of the key learning principles that he believes helped him achieve this enviable level of skill.

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2020 has been an unusually stressful year for most. So when it comes to maximizing well-being, and being in as good a place mentally, physically, and emotionally, as we can be, is it more important that we set goals and stick to the path? Or that we take the time to relax and look for positive moments during each day (even if they're tiny and trivial in the grand scheme of things)?

Having Long-Term Goals Is Important, but Research Suggests That We Should Enjoy the Little Things Too

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Ever find yourself playing more cautiously and tentatively under pressure, and wondering how to loosen up, trust yourself, and play more freely like your teacher keeps encouraging you to do?

It seems that self-efficacy is an important ingredient in risk-taking, and in today's episode, I'll describe a simple exercise that can help with building some of this particular kind of confidence.

Have a Tendency to Play “Too Safe” Under Pressure? Here’s a Daily Habit That Could Help You Play More Fearlessly on Stage.

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If you had a choice between starting with your most challenging tasks and progressing towards the easier ones or starting with your easiest tasks and progressing towards the most challenging ones, what would you choose? And which one do you think would lead to greater confidence and self-efficacy? A recent study suggests that if your goal is to build confidence, one might be much more effective than the other.

A Counterintuitive Way to Build Confidence, a Tiny Bit Each Day

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Conventional wisdom suggests that when we're learning a difficult passage, we should start slow, and gradually work it up to tempo with a metronome.

But what if I told you that there's a more efficient and effective way to get a difficult passage up to tempo? And that this slow-to-fast process can actually lead to bad habits that we later have to waste a lot of time unlearning?

Trombonist Jason Sulliman walks us through the motor learning/control research which suggests that there are many times when learning things at-tempo, from Day 1, may actually be the smarter, more effective approach.

Jason Sulliman: On Why Fast, At-Tempo Practice Can Be More Efficient and Effective Than Slow Practice

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We've all been told that having phones nearby while studying or practicing can be a distraction and degrade the quality of our practicing/studying. But what about engaging in social media before we practice? Does what we do in the 30 minutes or so before practicing also matter? And if so, why?

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We've all heard stories about famous musicians who had a drink (or two) before performing to calm their nerves. But does this really make things better - or does it actually make things worse? A recent study provides some clues.

 What Does the Research Say About Having a Couple Drinks Before Performing?

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What are some of the practice strategies that help the most effective practicers improve faster (and play better) than the rest of us? A University of Texas study of 17 pianists, found 8 specific differences - and 3 in particular, that seemed to make the biggest difference.

8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently

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Cellist Minna Chung describes the three systems of intonation (what?! there are 3?), which one to use when, and how we can all play a little better in tune.

Minna Chung: On the Mysteries of Intonation and a Few Things We Can Do to Play Better in Tune

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We often cringe at the mistakes we make on stage - but how many of these do audiences, or our fellow musicians, actually notice?

A Yale study of pianists provides some clues - and the numbers might surprise you.

How Many of Our Mistakes Do Audiences (and Other Musicians) Actually Notice?

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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...?

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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?

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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

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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?”

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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If you've been trying to convince yourself (or your students) to do more self-recording, here's a study that illustrates why this is such a useful practice tool. And also suggests that we might not be quite as good at simultaneously performing and critiquing as we'd like to think.

Evidence That You're Probably Not Great at Performing and Critiquing Your Performance at the Same Time

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Violinist and educator Christian Howes drops by to chat about learning how to improvise, how to overcome overwhelm, connect and collaborate more effectively with a diverse range of other musicians, and hopefully become a better friend to ourselves through it all.

Christian Howes: On Overcoming Improvisation Anxiety, Making Technical Practice More Creatively Satisfying, and Becoming a Better Friend to Yourself

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Why is that in some performances, we're totally focused, and the critic in our head leaves us alone, and on other days, it's a total nightmare?

Research suggests that it might have a little something to do with what we think about in the moments leading up to the performance, and that we might be able to manage our nerves a little better if we engage in the right sort of mental script backstage.

How the Things You Think about Backstage Could Carry over into Your Performance

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We all naturally react to failure a little differently, but ever wonder what's different about those folks who seem to bounce back more effortlessly from repeated failure? This study provides some pretty fascinating insights, as the researchers explore the differences between what more and less persistent kids say to themselves when they experience failure.

How to Talk to Yourself When You’re Having a Bad Practice Day (or Week)

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We've all been told that it's important to go into auditions or performances with positive expectations - but that's often easier said than done. If you've ever gotten frustrated with positive visualization or affirmations, there's another strategy you could try - that might not elicit quite so much pushback from your inner critic.

Having Difficulty Believing in Yourself? Here’s a Confidence-Building Technique That Doesn’t Feel Like You're Lying to Yourself.

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We have all been told that bringing our "A" game in the practice room and on stage requires a certain amount of physical rest and recovery. But I don't know that we as acutely aware of the importance of psychological rest and recovery as well.

Recent research suggests that learning to "switch off" might be an important key to maintaining a consistently high level of practice and performance as well.

Struggling with Practice Apathy? You Might Be Neglecting “Psychological Rest”

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• 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

Physical therapist Howard Nelson and renowned violinist Pamela Frank share simple and practical insights on smart, effective practice that transfers to the stage, and ways to ensure that you have a long and pain-free playing career.

Howard Nelson & Pamela Frank: On Recovering from Injury, the Importance of Being Non-Judgmental, and Practicing with 1000% Expression

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• 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 few months ago, percussionist Rob Knopper and I had a chance to sit down and chat with three musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to see what sorts of similarities and differences there might be in different musicians' approaches to audition preparation.

In Episode 3 of this mini-series, oboist Sarah Lewis shares insights on how she stays in a good headspace backstage, what her ideal day-of-audition routine looks like, and what she prioritized in the final week leading up to audition day, while also caring for her 3-month old daughter.

Sarah Lewis: On Thinking Useful Thoughts, Gratitude, and the Challenge of Juggling Auditions and a 3-Month Old

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 few months ago, percussionist Rob Knopper and I had a chance to sit down and chat with three musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to see what sorts of similarities and differences there might be in different musicians' approaches to audition preparation.

In Episode 2 of this mini-series, flutist Amanda Blaikie shares her insights on how to stay in a good headspace backstage, what her ideal day-of-audition routine looks like, and what she prioritized in the final week leading up to audition day.

Amanda Blaikie: On Believing in Yourself, Letting Go of Attachments, and Giving Yourself Permission to Be Kind 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

A few months ago, percussionist Rob Knopper and I had a chance to sit down and chat with three musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to see what sorts of similarities and differences there might be in different musicians' approaches to audition preparation.

In Episode 1 of this mini-series, violist Caroline Coade shares her insights on how she stays in a good headspace backstage, what her ideal day-of-audition routine looks like, and what she prioritized in the final week leading up to audition day.

What Are the Audition Preparation Strategies That Work Best for You? | Caroline Coade: On Being Flexible and "Practicing to Bulletproof”

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

Athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists often recommend visualizing yourself having a successful performance in the future. But sometimes it can be difficult to get your brain to imagine or buy into future success in that way... So if future-oriented visualization isn't happening for you, is there any performance benefit to visualizing successful performances in your past?

A Mental Time Travel Technique That Could Reduce Anxiety and 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