The Bulletproof Musician
Noa Kageyama
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.
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Top 10 The Bulletproof Musician Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Bulletproof Musician episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Bulletproof Musician for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Bulletproof Musician episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Memory Reconsolidation: A Way to Dump Your Negative Audition and Performance Baggage?
The Bulletproof Musician
07/31/22 • 10 min
Ever find yourself reacting negatively to certain pieces or orchestral excerpts, not because you can't play it, but because there's still some mental or emotional "baggage" lingering in the background from previous negative experiences?
Recent research suggests that it may be possible to "edit" or update these memories so that they don't carry so much weight.
Memory Reconsolidation: A Way to Dump Your Negative Audition and Performance Baggage?
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Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage?
If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.
It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.
Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
Is It Possible to Increase Your “Immunity” to Nerves? The Research Suggests Yes - And Here’s How to Do It.
The Bulletproof Musician
09/18/22 • 7 min
Ever wish there were a way to be less affected by nerves under pressure. Like, if there could be a flu shot equivalent for nerves to help "inoculate" you to pressure?
Researchers have wondered this as well, and a pair of studies suggest that we totally can!
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Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage?
If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.
It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.
Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
Laurie Scott & Cornelia Watkins: On Going From the Stage to the Studio
The Bulletproof Musician
12/08/24 • 50 min
“See one, do one, teach one” is a model for learning that’s been utilized in medicine for many generations.
It’s quite a helpful model, but if you’ve ever tried your hand at teaching, you know how incredibly challenging that can be. Often, teaching a skill can be even more difficult that doing the skill itself!
Like, how can we teach a student to be more expressive? How can we ensure each student has a positive emotional connection with the music at each lesson - even if just for a moment? How can we turn students into active/inquisitive learners rather than passive/compliant learners?
Laurie Scott (University of Texas at Austin) and Cornelia Watkins (Northwestern University) co-authored From the Stage to the Studio: How Fine Musicians Become Great Teachers, which is written for university studio faculty, music pedagogy teachers, college music majors, and performing musicians, who are looking to be more effective in their teaching.
In this month’s chat, we’ll learn more about the synergistic relationship between playing and teaching, the problems of dividing music students into “pedagogy” and “performance” majors, how we can teach musical expression very early on in a student’s development, how we can all become better teachers using a technique that won’t come as a surprise but most of us will probably try to avoid, how to help your students become better noticers, and much more.
Get all the nerdy details here:
Laurie Scott & Cornelia Watkins: On Going From the Stage to the Studio
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Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage?
If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.
It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.
Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
How Important is Listening to Recordings, Really?
The Bulletproof Musician
10/30/22 • 8 min
Kim Laskowski: On Practicing With a Structure, Developing an Expressive Sound, and Learning How to Truly Listen
The Bulletproof Musician
11/06/22 • 45 min
Why Trying to "Think Positive" All the Time Could Make You Feel Worse
The Bulletproof Musician
11/13/22 • 9 min
Why Telling Yourself to “Calm Down” Backstage May Be Counterproductive
The Bulletproof Musician
11/27/22 • 11 min
Why the Wrong Kind of Praise Could Heighten a Student's Fear of Failure
The Bulletproof Musician
02/18/24 • 7 min
When I praise the family dog for doing a good thing, I'm not sure if it matters what words I say to him. He seems equally excited and happily wags his tail whether I say "good boy!" or "bad doggie!" as long as I use the same tone of voice.
Of course, people are different, and the words we use do matter in the feedback we offer.
So if we're trying to build up a student's confidence, and embolden them to take on new challenges, what kind of praise works best?
A 2014 study suggests that not all praise has the same effect. And that even if well-intentioned, one particular type of praise can backfire and even heighten a student's fear of failure. 😳
Get all the nerdy details right here:
Why the Wrong Kind of Praise Could Heighten a Student's Fear of Failure
* *
Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage?
If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.
It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.
Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
How to Keep Anxiety From Spiraling, on Stage and Off
The Bulletproof Musician
01/08/23 • 9 min
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 then, but I now understand was probably more a look of concern, rather than disapproval.
I don't know why I did that, because it didn't help. And how freaky must that have been for the people in the audience? Especially in the vicinity of my mom? Like, what the heck is this kid looking at? Wait...is he looking at me?
Anyhow, I mention this because I found a study that reminded me of this old habit. Essentially, a team of researchers found that high and low-anxious folks tend to focus on very different things during a stressful task, and that this difference in attention was associated with either a milder or more severe stress response.
With college auditions coming up in the next couple months, this seemed like a particularly relevant tip that could come in pretty handy, whether during the playing bits or interview bits.
Get all the nerdy details and this week’s practice hack right here:
How to Keep Anxiety From Spiraling, on Stage and Off
* *
Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage?
If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances.
It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure.
Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
Jennifer Montone: On the Unspoken Mental and Emotional Aspects of Being a Musician
The Bulletproof Musician
12/04/22 • 50 min
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Bulletproof Musician have?
The Bulletproof Musician currently has 364 episodes available.
What topics does The Bulletproof Musician cover?
The podcast is about Learning, Psychology, Music, Practice, Podcasts, Social Sciences, Science and Music Interviews.
What is the most popular episode on The Bulletproof Musician?
The episode title 'Why Your Playing (or Singing) Tends to Become Less Musically Expressive on Stage' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Bulletproof Musician?
The average episode length on The Bulletproof Musician is 17 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Bulletproof Musician released?
Episodes of The Bulletproof Musician are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Bulletproof Musician?
The first episode of The Bulletproof Musician was released on Jan 7, 2018.
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