The Bulletproof Musician

Pianist, educator, and music psychology researcher Adina Mornell shares insights on the four component of stage fright (and what to do about each), and describes some of the key takeaways from recent…

When we think of optimizing learning, we tend to think of practice strategies and how to make our time in the practice room more effective. But much like working out and building muscle, a good bit o…

Ever have one of those days where you just can't get yourself to practice? Or maybe that's a little bit how every day feels?

Turns out there's an intriguing motivation "hack" of sorts that could make…

Ever find yourself in the middle of a practice session, take a moment to check your texts, and then realize an hour has gone by as you got sucked down some random internet rabbit hole or another?

Why…

Ever wonder what's going through the mind of a conductor, in rehearsal or in a performance?

Conductor Joshua Weilerstein shares his own journey from violinist to conductor, and sheds some light on wh…

Learning a bunch of practice strategies can elevate the effectiveness of your practice, but a 2015 study of college music students suggests that supplementing this with additional self-regulation str…

We all have an inner voice. Sometimes it's a supportive presence, but often, it can be pretty critical and even a little abusive at times.

Research suggests that the way we talk to our students and p…

There are a lot of articles on the internet suggesting that perfectionism "kills" creativity. But is that really true?

A team of Canadian researchers were curious about this exact question, and put t…

Do you get bored of doing lots and lots of repetition in the practice room? The good news is that there's a better (and more interesting) way to get your repetitions in. A way that at least in one 20…

Looking for some new ways to freshen up your practice routine, get off of a plateau, or find some new inspiration for 2022? Try some of these tips and insights from 2021's podcast guests - Kristian S…

I stumbled across a home video of me practicing as a young child the other day and was horrified to hear how completely unorganized, unthoughtful, and un-deliberate my practice was at that age. Which…

Some people seem to have a really easy time with memorizing new pieces. Or at least, they seem to be really confident and secure in their memory. Is there something they know that we don't? Are they …

We've all heard stories of athletes and musicians using visualization or mental practice to enhance their learning or performance. But how exactly are we supposed to do it?

In this episode, you'll le…

Have you ever wondered why solfège is such a constant in most music curricula? Or why teachers often ask us to sing in lessons? And if any of this is ever going to pay off in meaningful ways?

A recen…

We've all been told that slow practice is important. And while it's certainly an important tool to have in your toolbox, there is research which suggests that slow practice can potentially cause prob…

The traditional method of learning is to try to learn the correct "textbook" way of performing a skill, and to do lots and lots of repetitions of that exact movement. But there's some increasing rese…

I know we've all been told (and experienced first-hand) that cramming doesn't work, and learn better when our practice or study sessions are spaced out over time. But why?

What's actually happening i…

Whether you're a pianist, a singer, or instrumentalist, I'm sure you've had the experience of feeling a sort of musical "chemistry" when collaborating with other musicians.

In this month's conversati…

Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall of the practice room of a well-known performer and watch or listen to how they practice?

A team of researchers did something close to this - they videotaped e…

I think we all go through moments in life where we feel like failures. But has this ever gotten to a point where even though on paper, you are not at all a failure, you still feel like one? And even …