Need a Little Shot of Optimism? Try the "Best Possible Self" Exercise

The Problem with Taking Excessively Long Practice Breaks: Why taking a practice break too soon, and for too long, could slow down the learning process. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Julie Landsman: On Getting into the Zone and Developing Trust in Your Playing: What do great performers think about while performing? Technique? Sound? Images? In this week's conversation, former Met principal horn player Julie Landsman shares insights on what she did to stay focused on stage, and how she was able to develop... by The Bulletproof Musician

33 min listen

Just Thinking You Don't Have Enough Time (Even If That's Not True) Negatively Affects Performance: Nowadays, we all seem to be going through each day, rushing from one thing to the next. And sometimes, this just becomes a habit, where we feel the pressure of time no matter what we are doing. But research suggests that simply feeling time pressure... by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

Could This Working Memory Exercise Help Offset the Effect of Nerves on Performance?: Many of the brain-training apps and games out there don't seem to be as effective as one might hope. But there's one type of mental training that does seem to improve performance under pressure... by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

Why It’s Probably Not a Good Sign If Practicing Starts to Feel Easy: Research suggests that my teacher may have been onto something when he said "if practicing feels easy, you’re probably not doing it right.” by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

What's the Most (and Least) Helpful Thing to Text a Friend Before Their Audition?: What's the right thing to say to someone before a high-pressure event? Good luck? You'll do great? Just breathe? Research suggests that a text message from a significant other can attenuate their stress response - but not any old message will do. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Rob Knopper: On Overcoming the Fear of Recording Yourself (and Making It Your New Favorite Practice Tool): I used to dread recording myself. And listening back was even worse. So why do some musicians swear by it? How exactly does it help us in the practice room and on stage? And how can we get ourselves to not only embrace recording...but maybe even come... by The Bulletproof Musician

36 min listen

Can We Train Ourselves to Be Less Anxious?: "Just think positive" never seems to work - but only focusing on doom and gloom sure doesn't help either. Research suggests that the key may lie in not making up positive things, but training ourselves to actually see the positive signs around us,... by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Two Different Kinds of Nerves? How One Type Helps and the Other Type…Not so Much by The Bulletproof Musician

9 min listen

Why Do We Have Such a Hard Time Accepting Compliments?: Do you have a hard time accepting and internalizing compliments from others? Here's a 3-step technique for taking it in - without turning into an overconfident, self-congratulating #$&@. by The Bulletproof Musician

9 min listen

How to Minimize Jet Lag and Perform Your Best When Crossing Multiple Time Zones: Ever wish there was a way to fight jet lag and not be such a zombie when you travel across multiple time zones? Here are 9 tips from two Stanford orthopedic surgeons' review of the literature. by The Bulletproof Musician

12 min listen

The “Urgency Effect” and How to Prioritize More Effectively in the Practice Room: Some things are urgent (a gig today), while other things are important (a big audition in 2 months). How can we make the best use of our practice time so that we are at our best for the truly important moments? by The Bulletproof Musician

9 min listen

Need a Little Shot of Optimism? Try the "Best Possible Self" Exercise: It's easy to start losing confidence and start doubting yourself in the week leading up to a big performance or audition. But research suggests that the "best possible self" exercise could help us stay a bit more optimistic as the day approaches. by The Bulletproof Musician

6 min listen

How to Keep Your Cool in Stressful Lessons, Rehearsals, and More: The motivational climate that leads to more anxious, stressed-out learners. And the motivational climate that leads to more resilient learners. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

A Better Way to Teach Complex Skills, Borrowed From…Doggy Training?: It's easy for lessons to become completely focused on all the things we are doing wrong. And while glossing over mistakes is not the answer, is this the most effective way to learn? Or might animal trainers know something that could actually come in... by The Bulletproof Musician

9 min listen

“Mistake Rituals” and Why it's Important to Prepare for On-Stage Surprises: There are two kinds of mistakes we make on stage. The kind that we see coming (ack! difficult passage ahead!). And the kind we never could have imagined (what the...?!). Either way, we need a way to move past them quickly, so they don't snowball out... by The Bulletproof Musician

6 min listen

Creativity Sounds Important…but at the Elite Level, How Valuable Is It Really?: Creativity sounds like a good thing - but does creativity on stage actually lead to more success in auditions and competitions? Or is it just about execution, plain and simple? by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Can We Really Trust Our Intuition When Making Difficult Decisions?: When faced with a tough decision, people often advise us to "sleep on it" or "go with your gut." But what does the research say? Is there any evidence that we can actually trust our intuition in moments like this? by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Does Stress Make Us More Susceptible to Injury?: Stress is never any fun - but does stress also contribute to injury? Research suggests that it can...giving us another reason to make sure we are taking breaks and recharging our batteries during stressful times. by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

A Childhood Pastime That Could Help You Reduce Stress and Manage Audition-Day Nerves: The wait backstage can be torturous, as you feel the anxiety build, and wish you could just go out and play already. What are we supposed to do with all that time anyway? Listen to music? Visualize? Turns out there's an old childhood pastime that... by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Stereotype Threat: The Paradox of Becoming Exactly What You’re Trying to Prove That You’re Not. (Huh?!): Have you ever performed poorly at something because you put too much pressure on yourself to prove that you are totally awesome at that thing? A phenomenon known as "stereotype threat" is one reason why that may have happened. by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

Power Posing vs. Yoga. Yay or Nay?: Can a little backstage yoga or power posing help us manage our anxiety and walk out on stage a little more calm and composed? What does the research say? by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

The Correct Way to Sit in a Chair (and How This Could Help Your Performance in More Ways Than You’d Think): Apparently we've all been sitting incorrectly our whole lives - and paying a price for it not just in terms of comfort, but cognitive performance too. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Jeff Huber: On Preparing Mentally for Competition: Listen in as 3-time US Olympic diving coach Jeff Huber shares some tips on how to make the most of your practice time, and prepare more effectively for competition. by The Bulletproof Musician

35 min listen

Have Difficulty Staying Awake During Mental Practice? Try "Dynamic" Mental Imagery Instead! Have Difficulty Staying Awake During Mental Practice? Try "Dynamic" Mental Imagery Instead!: Research suggests that a different way of doing mental practice - "dynamic imagery" - could actually lead to better performance results than the regular 'ol way. by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

Does It Help (or Hurt) to Have Friends and Family in the Audience?: We've all heard of "home-court advantage." But research suggests that there are times when performing in front of a supportive audience can put us at a disadvantage too. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

A Scientific Rationale for Keeping Photos of Friends and Family in Your Case: Are people who have pictures of family and friends in their case on to something? A study suggets that simply imagining our partner can help us reduce stress as much as having them physically present. by The Bulletproof Musician

8 min listen

Peter Miksza: On the Overlooked Value of Improvisation in Musical Training: Listen in as Indiana University music education researcher and professor Peter Miksza and I chat about some of the research on improvisation, and talk about the overlooked role it may play in musical training and development. by The Bulletproof Musician

35 min listen

Janet Horvath: On Preventing Overuse Injuries and Playing Pain-Free: How do "overuse" injuries occur? Is it simply a matter of playing too much? Or are there other factors involved that are often overlooked? In this week's conversation, former MN Orchestra associate principal cellist Janet Horvath shares insights on... by The Bulletproof Musician

47 min listen

Listening to Music While Studying: Ok or Not Ok?: We've all done it. And some swear that it helps them to focus and concentrate. But what does the research say? Do we actually study better if there's music playing in the background? by The Bulletproof Musician

7 min listen

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Need a Little Shot of Optimism? Try the "Best Possible Self" Exercise

Need a Little Shot of Optimism? Try the "Best Possible Self" Exercise

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