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.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 17 minutes
- Episodes
- 394
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
A Better Way to Present Ourselves on Social Media? A Simple Adjustment for Improved Mood and Greater Well-Being.
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 ourse…
Regular Bragging vs. Humblebragging: Which Works Better?
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 achiev…
Need a Break? Here’s a Simple Way to Boost Your Mood and Feel More Refreshed After a Long Week of Practice.
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 benef…
David Leisner: On Overcoming Focal Dystonia and Learning to Play With Ease
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.
Toby Appel: On Learning to Trust Yourself
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 hi…
How Effective Is Mental Practice for Memorizing New Pieces?
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?
Stressed, Anxious, and Feeling a Little Burned Out? Here’s How an “Awe Walk” Could Help.
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 strate…
Bob Fisher: On What It Takes to Become Great at Something and Set Multiple World Records (at Age 50+)
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 …
Having Long-Term Goals Is Important, but Research Suggests That We Should Enjoy the Little Things Too
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 t…
Have a Tendency to Play “Too Safe” Under Pressure? Here’s a Daily Habit That Could Help You Play More Fearlessly on Stage.
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…
A Counterintuitive Way to Build Confidence, a Tiny Bit Each Day
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, wh…
Jason Sulliman: On Why Fast, At-Tempo Practice Can Be More Efficient and Effective Than Slow Practice
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 efficie…
How Using Social Media Apps Before Practicing Could Sabotage Practice Quality (and Performance) Over Time
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 p…
What Does the Research Say About Having a Couple Drinks Before Performing?
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 rece…
8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently
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 dif…
Minna Chung: On the Mysteries of Intonation and a Few Things We Can Do to Play Better in Tune
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.
How Many of Our Mistakes Do Audiences (and Other Musicians) Actually Notice?
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 s…
Handling Conflicts in Ensembles: A Few Things We May Be Able to Learn From the Research on Marital Satisfaction...?
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…
Is This Really a Significant Factor in How We Choose Our Teachers and Mentors?
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 …
Why It May Be Useful to Laugh a Bit More in the Months Ahead
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...