The Bulletproof Musician

We're often told to listen to recordings of music that we're working on.

And we often tell our students to do so as well, but is there any research which suggests that this benefits the learning proc…

Ever have one of those days in the practice room, where as soon as you fix one issue, another problem pops up? And just when you think you have that problem solved, the original thing "breaks" again?…

Do you tend to play with your eyes open? Or do you sometimes close them?

Ever wonder if there might be any performance benefit to performing with eyes closed?

Turns out there might be - in certain cir…

I remember my teacher saying to me quite early on in my studies, that her job was not to tell me what to do, but to teach me how to teach myself.

I think we all have that goal in our teaching, but lik…

You know how people say that little kids don’t have a filter? How they just blurt out whatever thoughts pop into their minds?

Well, the voice in our head can kind of be like that unfiltered 1st grader…

For most of my life, even through college and grad school, regular ol' repetition was probably my most-utilized learning strategy whether I was studying for a test or practicing for my next lesson or…

We all procrastinate on things from time to time. And sometimes we pay the price for doing things at the last minute. But then there are times when it actually seems to work out pretty well!

So is pro…

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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When I was first starting out…

In the age-old debate about nature vs. nurture, I know the correct answer for most things is that it's a blend of both.

But sight-reading, at least for me, always felt like one of those things which l…

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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I think we’ve all had teacher…

Everyone seems to be pretty good about staying hydrated nowadays with the popularity of reusable water bottles and a growing number of public water refilling stations in schools, airports, etc.

But ho…

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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Ever have one of those days w…

As you might imagine, there are a ton of research papers out there.

Some are exceedingly useful. Others are interesting, but of questionable usefulness (like the one which explores the physics of butt…

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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When you think of your favori…

Whether it's our children, our students, or our pets, I think it's pretty natural and automatic to want to offer praise for a job well done.

We're happy for them, and pleased to see them do well. But …

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most for musicians.

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Much like hair, there are goo…

When it comes to improving technical aspects of your playing, it's easy to assume that this is mostly a physical issue. Where the solution is to do more practice, and more "correct" repetitions.

But …

This episode is sponsored by Musician's Maintenance - safe, simple, maintenance exercises that specifically address the muscle groups that matter most to musicians.

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I think we've all been told th…

For many toddlers, performing seems to come naturally and easily, whether it's an impromptu dance performance in the living room or comedy routine from the back seat of the car.

But as we get older, w…

Ever find yourself being distracted in the practice room by random thoughts and worries?

Like worrying about all the other music that you need to learn. Or the entrance you missed in the last rehearsa…