The Bulletproof Musician

Ever worry that excellent performance might not be “good enough?” And maybe you've assumed that aiming for perfection is a safer bet? You’re not alone, for what it's worth! 

But it's always interestin…

There are a lot of reasons why someone might decide to quit music at some point along the way. But could performance anxiety be one of them?

Indeed, performance anxiety can feel pretty uncomfortable! …

Worrying is never much fun, but it’s especially not fun in the leadup to a performance or audition. And even more so when we get stuck in a “worry loop” and can’t seem to get ourselves out of it.

It’s…

Are you a regular napper? Or maybe not such a fan?

Either way, given that today is National Lazy Day, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at a couple studies which suggest that naps could p…

I never got all that serious about playing the piano, but I did take lessons for a number of years and remember the many challenges I ran into as the number and density of black dots on the page incr…

Whether learning a new sport or playing an instrument, traditionally, we're often taught to start by building up some fundamental skills first, before we start adding in expression.

But there are othe…

It can be pretty uncomfortable to play for others and ask for feedback. I mean, putting ourselves out there to be judged and evaluated is never much fun, right?

But what if there's a different way to …

Ineffective practice can be discouraging on so many levels. For one, practicing for time or repetitions is not much fun. And negative practice experiences can make students want to avoid practicing, …

“If I didn’t have the harp, I wouldn’t be me.”

Internationally renowned harpist Judy Loman remains an active practicer, performer, and teacher at 89 years of age - and still clearly enjoys and loves w…

We learned last week that having more to say expressively with the music we’re playing could increase the likelihood of experiencing more flow states in performance (here, in case you missed it). But…

You know those really good days on stage? Where you’re totally present and in the moment, at one with your instrument, locked in on the music, not worried at all about what anyone might think, and ju…

Effective practicers tend to be more motivated, empowered, and persistent, whereas less effective practicers tend to feel more helpless and lower self-efficacy.

But what do they actually do differentl…

You're probably heard the quote "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."

But what do you think? 

Both play some role of course, but which do you think is more important for achiev…

Cellist Yumi Kendall has been the assistant principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2004, serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, co-hosts the Tacet No More podcast with…

We all have a voice in our head, that can sometimes get pretty loud and awfully critical.

Ever wonder where this voice and all that negativity comes from? And why it can suddenly become more critical …

There's a famous quote attributed to Heifetz (or any number of different folks) - that if I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.

So does t…

Ever wonder why it's so difficult to do the same thing twice, in exactly the same way?

Like the same exact crescendo or the same exact speed of vibrato?

Do we just need to practice more? Or is there so…

I think the last couple decades have seen a growing change in the music community, where there's a greater openness to talking about nerves and certain mental health struggles. But one area that isn'…

When it comes to motivating students, musicians, or even ourselves, we all wonder: is it better to reward effort — or call out mistakes? It turns out, both approaches can work… but they lead to very …

It's hard to be a parent and not worry about one's kids. Especially when it comes to public performances, competitions, or auditions, whether big or small.

But doesn't it feel like sometimes a parents…