The Bulletproof Musician

Whether it's an upcoming performance, audition, or just life stuff, it can be difficult to stop worrying or ruminating about things that stress you out. But not only does this feel pretty crummy, it prolongs the stress response as well. A recent meta-analysis looked through 10,000+ studies, and identified seven strategies that seemed to be the most effective in not only stopping worries and r...

Getting back into the rhythm of "normal" life is something that I think a lot of folks are grappling with at the moment. And so if your motivation isn't where you'd like it to be, it turns out there might be an interesting motivation "hack" that may help increase your chances of getting things done, and possibly even put you in a slightly more positive headspace too....

In this month's conversation, Philadelphia Orchestra principal bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa shares insights on three things to focus on to become a better practicer, how to cultivate not just a good but a GREAT sound, and much more! Daniel Matsukawa: On Cultivating a Great Sound, and Three Components of Becoming a Better Practicer More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newslett...

Difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep seems to be increasingly common in these pandemic times. Which can not only have a negative on our physical and mental health and ability to learn and improve in the practice room, but can also just be plain annoying and frustrating too. If you're tired of tossing and turning and clock-watching, the serial diverse imaging or "cognitive shuff...

Gold medal-winning diver Tom Daley was recently in the news for being spotted knitting in the stands at the Olympics. He said that this was his "secret weapon" for staying calm, managing stress, and staying in a better headspace before competing. Does he know something we don't? Could knitting be a viable strategy for managing pre-competition stress? There is actually a tiny bit of...

How many repetitions if a tricky passage is enough to get it securely into "muscle memory?" Is two perfect repetitions in a row good enough? Is 5 better? 7? Is aiming for 10 just a waste of time and energy? Research on "overlearning" provides some clues on how many repetitions might be "enough." Adequate Learning Vs Overlearning: How Many Repetitions Is Enough? More f...

Ever wonder what EXACTLY more effective and efficient practicers do differently than the rest of us? A 2010 basketball study reveals two specific differences in the practice habits of good and bad free throw shooters. Differences that can totally be applied to music as well. Two Things Experts Do Differently Than Non-Experts When Practicing More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly ne...

Have you ever found it a struggle to take risks and learn effectively in lessons because it feels important to avoid mistakes and get things right? Even if you know your teacher is doing their best to foster a safe environment? Director and choreographer Ann Bergeron explains how her experience training her dogs through positive reinforcement methods led to changes in her approach to teaching her...

We know that spacing one's practice leads to better learning. And that sleep is an important factor in memory consolidation too. So what happens if we combine these two factors in a strategic way? Research suggests that this might lead not only to accelerated learning, but much more durable memory and recall too! A Simple Practice Scheduling Hack That Couldn’t Possibly Be as Effective as It S...

Have you ever heard it said that trying NOT to think of something only triggers more thoughts of that thing? It makes sense, but is this actually true? And if so, and thought suppression really doesn't work, is there anything else we can do, to avoid thinking negative thoughts on stage? Why Thought Stopping Doesn’t Work (And the Paradoxical Strategy That Might Work Better) More from The Bulle...

I think we all know that taking short breaks between practice sessions is a good thing. But a recent study suggests that to maximize learning, we also ought to be taking short micro-breaks within each practice session. Because it seems that most of our learning doesn't take place when our fingers are moving, but in the short rest periods between the moments when we're actively performing...

In this episode cellist Natasha Brofsky and violist Roger Tapping share insights on how to approach and practice new repertoire - from whether to begin from the score or a recording, to how to learn a composer's unique language, to cultivating patience in the practice room and how to prevent fear or cautious playing from transferring from the practice room to the stage. Natasha Brofsky and Ro...

Have you ever found yourself struggling to quiet those increasing doubts and worries and fears in the last week before a big audition or performance? Where even if you tell yourself you're prepared and things will be fine, the thoughts keep popping into your head, stressing you out, and making you kind of miserable, wishing the moment would just come so you could get it over with already? A 2...

There are a lot of extrinsic motivators that naturally incentivize students to practice - like parental pressure, not wanting to let teachers down, seating auditions, recitals, competitions, and more. But there can be some negative costs of relying too much on extrinsic motivation. So...are there things we can do to increase students' intrinsic motivation to practice and hone their craft as w...

You're probably familiar with white noise, which you may already be using to help you get to sleep at night. But recent research suggests that it might be worth experimenting with pink noise. Which seems to enhance slow wave activity during certain phases of sleep, and boost memory consolidation, which can help you retain more of what you learned or studied the day before. Forget White Noise....

Having to suddenly transition to teaching online in March 2020 was quite a challenge for many (if not all!) of us. It's looking like we may be able to return to live instruction soon, but this seemed like a good time to reflect on what we've learned, and how we've grown in the months since. To that end, here's Alexander Technique teacher Lori Schiff's story of how she went...

Have you ever found yourself talking yourself up backstage before a concert, trying to quiet the last-minute doubts and boost your confidence? Sometimes this works, but sometimes the words just don't seem to resonate or sink in. A 2012 study suggests that there might be a better way to shift our mood in a more positive direction than simply talking to ourselves in a more positive way. Which I...

Even though we know that learning can and does continue throughout our lifespan, it often feels like it's more of a struggle to learn new things as we get older. So are there practice strategies that could help to offset this a bit? A recent study tested out three different practice schedules, and identified one that leads to better retention, more flexible/adaptable skills, and more motivati...

I think we've all heard that mental practice can help us improve some aspects of our playing. But is shifting or leaping from one note to another one of those areas that visualization can help with? A 2013 study of pianists provides a few clues... Need to Work on Shifting or Leaps From One Note to Another? Here’s How Mental Practice Could Help. More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free...

This episode is for all of the parents out there who worry when their kids don't practice, or who aren't sure how much to push when the child says they want to quit. There isn't one single correct way to approach any of this, of course, but if you've ever wondered how professional musicians might handle these situations, here is one family's recollection of how they naviga...

You've probably heard that it's helpful to make your own test questions when studying for a test or exam. But is this actually true? A recent study suggests that there are a couple study strategies that could be more effective than the standard approach of reading/rereading/reviewing your notes and assigned readings for a class. Finals Coming Up Soon? Here’s Why You Shouldn't Just R...

You've probably heard the saying that "practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect." But is that true? Or just a myth? Research on errors in learning suggest that error-free practice might actually hinder the learning process, and that how we respond to errors might be the more interesting factor to consider. Is “Perfect” Practice as Essential a Thing As We Te...

Ever have one of those performances that makes you cringe to think of it, even years after the fact? And discover that it still continues to affect you a little bit even in performances today? A recent study identified a strategy that may not wipe your memory clean of the negative performance, but could help you move past it a bit more effectively. Having Difficulty Moving Past a Particularly Dist...

The "memory palace" or method of loci technique, is a strategy often used by memory champions to achieve some pretty impressive feats of memory. Like being able to memorize the order of a deck of cards in less than a minute, for instance. Typically though, memory athletes are asked to recall the information relatively soon after encoding the information into memory. So...does this strate...

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 mo...