The Bulletproof Musician

Mistakes on stage are never fun, but missing a note here or there, or playing out of tune ... more

Talk to anyone who has ever performed from memory, and you’ll probably get a story of a ti... more

A pianist once told me the last thing their teacher said at their final lesson after years... more

One of the questions that I'm often asked, is the question of whether performance psycholo... more

Staying in a good mental and emotional state before performances is critical to playing up... more

When you think of practicing your instrument, what are some of the first words that come t... more

Ever worry that excellent performance might not be “good enough?” And maybe you've assumed... more

There are a lot of reasons why someone might decide to quit music at some point along the ... more

Worrying is never much fun, but it’s especially not fun in the leadup to a performance or ... more

Are you a regular napper? Or maybe not such a fan? Either way, given that today is Nationa... more

I never got all that serious about playing the piano, but I did take lessons for a number ... more

Whether learning a new sport or playing an instrument, traditionally, we're often taught t... more

It can be pretty uncomfortable to play for others and ask for feedback. I mean, putting ou... more

Ineffective practice can be discouraging on so many levels. For one, practicing for time o... more

“If I didn’t have the harp, I wouldn’t be me.” Internationally renowned harpist Judy Loman... more

We learned last week that having more to say expressively with the music we’re playing cou... more

You know those really good days on stage? Where you’re totally present and in the moment, ... more

Effective practicers tend to be more motivated, empowered, and persistent, whereas less ef... more

You're probably heard the quote "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspirati... more

Cellist Yumi Kendall has been the assistant principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestr... more