If you struggle with nerves and inconsistent performances, know that you’re not alone! Join 45,000+ musicians and get weekly research-based performance psychology tips that will help you become more effective in the practice room and on stage.
New episode! (On how to become not just a better musician, but a happier and healthier one too!)
If you’ve been a subscriber to this newsletter for any period of time, you’ve probably already been influenced by today’s guest without realising it - namely, performance science researcher Aaron Williamon.
Aaron's research has produced insights in many different facets of a musician's life, from effective practise and performance preparation, to managing nerves, optimising focus, musician health, technology and recording, and even the importance of how we present ourselves visually on stage.
Whether you’re interested in practising more effectively, looking for ways to tweak your preparation for an upcoming audition, or wondering how to help your students have a more positive and empowering experience on stage, I’ll bet my next box of Weetabix that you’ll take away some new details from today’s episode that will change some facet of your practice in the week ahead. The episode will also make you think more generally about the role (and value) of music in society, if you’ve had questions about that in recent years…
And yeah, if you're thinking my spelling seems a little funky today, I figured we’d go with a British theme today, in honor of our guest from the UK. Even though he's originally from the US. 🤣
Get all the nerdy details and this week's practice hacks below (there’s also a transcript with timestamps if you’d like to jump right to a few key points of interest):
Aaron Williamon: On Becoming a Better, Happier, and Healthier Musician
-Noa
A couple things from the archives
- If you enjoyed this episode with Aaron, you may also enjoy the episode on effective practice with fellow musician/researcher Adina Mornell: read/listen here
- On the topic of musician health, our inner dialogue can not only wreck our emotional state, but mess with performance too. A 2019 study provides some clues on how we can weaken its negative effect on us: read here
Deep thought o' the week
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."
-B.B. King
The Bulletproof Musician
If you struggle with nerves and inconsistent performances, know that you’re not alone! Join 45,000+ musicians and get weekly research-based performance psychology tips that will help you become more effective in the practice room and on stage.
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