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PODCAST

The Bulletproof Musician

Ever wonder why you can practice for hours, sound great in the practice room, and still be frustratingly hit or miss on stage? Join performance psychologist and Juilliard alumnus/faculty Noa Kageyama, and explore research-based “practice hacks” for beating anxiety, practicing more effectively, and playing up to your full abilities when it matters most.

science social sciences

All Episodes

53:30

Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/04/06

Ever get that overwhelmed feeling in the practice room? Where you know there’s a ton of work to be done, but you’re not quite sure where to start or what exactly to do? Maybe you’re not happy with your sound, or your intonation is sketchy, or perhaps it’s one of those days when it feels like everything needs attention? We only have so much time and energy, so what are we to do? Flutist Linda Chesis is a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and festival director. She was a student of Jean-Pier...

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10:01

Finding Your Optimal Anxiety Level: Why Calm Isn’t...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/04/04

Even from a young age, I was always confused by the relationship between nerves and performance. There were times, for instance, when I’d be nervous and sound pretty terrible. But then there were other times when I’d be nervous and play better than ever. And then there were times when I’d be calm and sound very uninspired and mediocre. It all felt like a crapshoot, and none of it ever made sense. Like, why were nerves sometimes helpful and sometimes not helpful? Should I be trying harder to c...

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7:52

The 70% Rule: Why Practicing Shouldn’t Be Too Easy

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/03/23

Somewhere along the line we learn that mistakes are bad, and perfect is good - but what if this is actually not true when it comes to learning? What if mistakes are actually an essential part of learning? And what if we actually learn faster when we're in a challenge "sweet spot" and playing nowhere near perfectly? If that were true...where might this sweet spot be? Get all the nerdy details and learn why you don't want practicing to feel too easy right here: The 70% Rule: Why Practicing Shou...

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6:36

Sight Reading: The Ideal Error Rate for Optimal Learning

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/03/16

When you're practicing sight-reading, how difficult should the music be? Should it be easy enough that you can read it more or less perfectly, without any mistakes? Should it be difficult enough that you're making lots of mistakes, and feeling really challenged? Could there a specific "sweet spot" or Goldilocks zone where your sight-reading skills improve at the fastest possible rate? Get all the nerdy details here: Sight Reading: The Ideal Error Rate for Optimal Learning * * * Has performanc...

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7:13

Why Practicing While Distracted Is Actually Very...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/03/09

Have you ever found yourself getting irritated or see your performance get derailed by distractions on stage? Maybe it was noises backstage, or movement in the audience, or people coughing and loudly unwrapping candy in the quiet moments? These distractions often seem like such trivial things, but sometimes, they can take up more space in our thoughts than they ought to, and lead to little slip-ups. Which can be pretty frustrating, lead to more little mistakes, and then begin to send the whol...

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6:04

How to Help Students Remember More From Each Lesson

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/03/02

A one-hour lesson can often go by really quickly, but also be packed with lots and lots to remember. Have you ever found yourself repeating yourself from one week to the next? Having to remind students about things you've already talked about in previous lessons? If you'd like to help students remember more from their lessons (and other classes too), I think you'll be intrigued by the finding of a 2014 study which compared two approaches to learning, and found one that significantly enhanced ...

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8:10

How to Increase the Likelihood of Being Accepted by...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/02/23

It's human nature to want to be liked and accepted by others. But while some seem to have a knack for it, for many of us, fear of rejection or fear of negative evaluation can get in the way. Whether it's walking into a room for a job interview or college/grad school audition, playing in a new ensemble for the first time, or meeting your partner's family for the first time, how can we increase our chances of being liked and accepted? A 2009 study suggests that our mindset could play a role in ...

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8:39

Stumped by a Problem in the Practice Room? Try an...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/02/16

Have you ever had one of those "aha" moments when a solution to a problem spontaneously popped into your head? Wouldn't it be nice if we could have those moments more often? Well, a 2012 study suggests that you may be able to cultivate these kinds of moments and increase your creative problem-solving abilities by taking a short break from the task. But not any old break will do - it has to be a specific type of break! Get all the nerdy details here: Stumped by a Problem in the Practice ...

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7:50

Perfect Shmerfect. Could More “Mistakes” Accelerate...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/02/09

Ever notice how some folks seem to learn faster than others? What’s their secret? Is it just natural ability? Sure, maybe there’s some of that. But could it also be that they’re doing something different in the practice room? Like is there some sort of newfangled cutting-edge practice strategy they’re using that you’re not? Well, these faster learners may be doing something quite different than what you’d expect. As a 2014 Harvard study found when they tested a strategy utilized by…birds. 🤔

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44:14

Carolyn Christie: On Overcoming Nerves With Healthier...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/02/02

Ever notice how mean the voice in your head can become on stage? Where it generates YouTube comment section-like levels of criticism and abuse? Or maybe you haven’t even gotten on stage yet. But as you’re waiting your turn, you overhear the person playing right before you, who sounds amazing? And then the voice suddenly makes you question and doubt everything? Yeah, the voice that lives in our head is not always such a good friend. But what can we do about it? How can we turn that off when it...

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9:54

Can We Train Ourselves to Worry Less About Others’...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/01/26

I came across a study years ago which found that fear of negative evaluation was one of the key drivers of performance anxiety in musicians. Which of course makes perfect sense, as we're being evaluated all the time. Often, with meaningful consequences attached.But that doesn't mean it's helpful - or very pleasant to experience either! So is there anything we can do to be less sensitive to what others around us might be thinking about us? At least in rehearsals, auditions, performances, or ev...

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10:49

What Causes "Choking" Under Pressure? And What Can We...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/01/19

Have you ever had one of those days on stage where you suddenly can't seem to do a thing that normally is never an issue? Or maybe it's one of those days where everything just spontaneously falls apart? And for seemingly no reason at all, even though you were as prepared as you've ever been?Athletes call this "choking." Or the "yips" (which I think is funner to say). There's actually been quite a bit of interesting research on why this happens. And the answer is way more interesting than "ner...

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8:36

The Truth About Cramming: Why Your Brain Needs Breaks

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/01/12

Taking breaks in the middle of practice or study sessions can be a pain. Often, it's a lot easier and more convenient to just power through and get it over with.But what price do we pay by not spacing out our learning, over multiple days, or with practice or study breaks? Does this really make that much of a difference?Two studies from the literature suggest that spaced learning can make quite a significant difference, actually. And one study explains why, highlighting the very different thin...

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53:28

Orli Shaham: On Overcoming Setbacks and Learning to...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2025/01/05

Ever had one of those “I’m a total failure, and I’m never going to be invited to play with these folks again” moments?In this month’s chat, pianist Orli Shaham shares a deeply personal story about a performance at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, where rehearsals went so badly, that the piece she prepared was pulled from the program. It felt like a “complete failure” at the time, but the experience prompted her to evaluate her preparation process. Which eventually led to one of her career highl...

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7:36

A Backward Strategy for Enhanced Goal-Setting Success

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/12/29

Maybe you've set some goals for the coming year, but you're not quite sure where to start, and feeling a little overwhelmed? Or maybe you have a history of setting goals but not following through?A 2017 study looked at a "backwards" strategy for goal-setting and found that this increased motivation, follow-through, and actual performance as well!Get all the nerdy details here:A Backward Strategy for Enhanced Goal-Setting Success* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often s...

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7:18

4 Approaches to Goal Setting (And Which Works Best)

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/12/22

Are you a little overwhelmed by all of the different year-in-review and goal-setting methods you're getting in your inbox? If you're confused by the variety and range of approaches out there and just want a bare-bones minimalist option to ensure that you actually do it, a 2006 study of four different goal-setting strategies provides some simple, clear guidelines.Get all the nerdy details here:4 Approaches to Goal Setting (And Which Works Best)* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that...

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6:37

Do Extroverts Make Better Performers Than Introverts?

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/12/15

Have you ever wondered if there's an advantage to being an extrovert or introvert when it comes to performing?Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to keep wondering, because I couldn't find a definitive answer one way or the other from the existing research. But I did find an interesting study of figure skaters, which looked at the impact of *shyness* on performance. It's important to note that being introverted and being shy are NOT the same thing. But could being shy have some effect on ho...

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50:34

Laurie Scott & Cornelia Watkins: On Going From the...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/12/08

“See one, do one, teach one” is a model for learning that’s been utilized in medicine for many generations.It’s quite a helpful model, but if you’ve ever tried your hand at teaching, you know how incredibly challenging that can be. Often, teaching a skill can be even more difficult that doing the skill itself!Like, how can we teach a student to be more expressive? How can we ensure each student has a positive emotional connection with the music at each lesson - even if just for a moment? How ...

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11:57

Does How We Look On Stage Matter More Than How We...

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/12/01

Have you ever wondered how much the visual aspect of a performance matters to the listener?Like, if you were going to enter two competitions, where one required submitting an audio recording and the other required a video recording, which one would you have a better chance of being accepted to? Or would it make any difference at all?A 2013 study of international competition finalists went viral, when it seemed like the results suggested that how a musician looks on stage matters more than how...

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7:12

Does Counting Our Blessings Really Change Anything?

The Bulletproof Musician ·

2024/11/24

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, so whether your holiday will be of the turkey, turducken, or Tofurky variety, the one thing we all have in common is that someone will suggest that we go around the table and share one thing that we're grateful for, just as we're about to eat. 🥹There are an awful lot of quotes out there about how we ought to count our blessings. And it does sound like a good thing to do. But does this actually do anything?Get all the nerdy details right here:Does

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413 results

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