The Bulletproof Musician

It's often said that failure is the best teacher. Or at least, that failure is a better teacher than success.

But how exactly are we supposed to learn from failure without getting discouraged?

And why …

Intuitively, I think we approach teaching with the goal of helping students avoid failure. So it's natural to step in if we see students floundering about and approaching a problem the wrong way.

But …

Improvisation has not traditionally been part of most young classical musicians' training. But should it be?

Research suggests that the answer may be yes, and that there are a number of benefits that …

We know it can be really helpful to do practice performances or mock auditions in advance of a high-pressure performance. However, it can be really difficult to simulate the nerves and pressure of a …

If you’ve been a listener of this podcast for any period of time, you’ve probably already been influenced by today’s guest without realizing it - namely, performance science researcher Aaron Williamo…

We spend a lot of time and energy avoiding mistakes in the practice room and on stage. And we work super hard to make sure our students avoid doing things the "wrong way" too.

But what if that's actu…

Ever notice how it's easy to be optimistic about an audition or performance a month or two out, but things feel much different when the big day is now just one or two weeks away? Let alone one or two…

If you ever watched the show Friends, you might remember the episode where Phoebe stayed on hold for two days with her phone company, because every time she was about to hang up, the voice on the oth…

A few weeks ago, my dog herniated a disk. He could barely sit, let alone walk and squat to do his business.

The vet gave him some drugs (apparently dogs take codeine?!), and told us that he needed to …

Praising a student is easy. Giving critical feedback can be much tougher.

I mean, how can we call their attention to the things that don't sound great, while still building up their confidence?

Are fee…

Have you ever had one of those moments in the practice room, where you suddenly notice that physically, you've been going through the motions for the last couple minutes, but mentally, you've been sp…

I actually never got into coffee myself. Not for any health or philosophical reason, but because I'm not a fan of hot liquids in general (is that weird?).

I can certainly appreciate the appeal of havi…

It's often said that "perfect practice makes perfect," but what does "perfect practice" actually look like?

Does it mean what it sounds like it means? And is the saying even true, anyhow?

Researcher R…

Ever wonder what it is that makes great teachers great? Like, are there any commonalities in the pedagogical approaches of renowned teachers?

A 2006 analysis of 30 hours of lesson footage of violinist…

Have you ever had someone suggest that you "think of your performance as a gift that you are sharing with the audience" as a way to help you calm your nerves before a performance?

Did that resonate wi…

Ever find yourself struggling to get a tricky shift or big leap in tune consistently?

There are lots of helpful ways to practice and problem-solve such challenges, but there's a method that comes from…

As a kid, I had a habit of scanning the audience to see if I could catch a glimpse of my mom's reactions to my performance.

Generally, she'd be making a frowny sort of face, which didn't feel great th…

When it comes to practicing (or exercising or studying, etc.), there are a lot of times when we want to do the right thing...but we don't feel like it. And because feelings often win out, it can be e…

We tend to think of laser-like focus as a good thing - but sometimes this can lead to getting stuck obsessing about a particular section of music and working on it over and over, but with no real pro…