A Teaching Method That Creates Smarter Practicers

The Bulletproof Musician

I remember my teacher saying to me quite early on in my studies, that her job was not to tell me what to do, but to teach me how to teach myself.
I think we all have that goal in our teaching, but like many things, this is often easier said than done. I mean, how exactly do we teach someone how to teach themself?
In a 2011 study, researchers recruited six music teachers and 45 students, and evaluated a teaching method that does exactly this. They were curious to see if it would lead to better learning and performance results than the "regular" teaching approach.
Spoiler alert: it did.
Click below for all the nerdy details:
A Teaching Method That Creates Smarter Practicers
References
Bathgate, M., Sims‐Knight, J., & Schunn, C. (2011). Thoughts on Thinking: Engaging novice music students in metacognition. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(3), 403–409. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1842

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Has performance anxiety been a nagging issue that tends to get in the way of your playing, no matter how prepared you feel before performances, auditions - or even lessons? Or have you just been feeling a little stuck, like you’re not making much progress in the practice room?
If you’ve been wanting to experience more joy in the practice room and play more like yourself on stage, but haven’t been quite sure how to make that happen, starting October 6, 2024, I’ll be teaching a live, online, 4-week class on the most essential mental skills and practice strategies that can make a difference in your practicing and performing.
We’ll meet once a week via Zoom and explore the relevant research in four essential areas, experiment with a curated set of exercises and techniques together as a group, and to make sure the ideas become consistent habits, I'll show you how to gently integrate these new skills into your (or your students’) daily practice through bite-sized practice challenges alongside a supportive group of practice buddies from around the world.
Registration begins next week - Sunday, September 22, 2024, and runs through Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Over 1800 musicians, educators, and students and learners of all ages have participated in the course to date. You can get all the details and learn how to join Cohort 20 at: bulletproofmusician.com/essentials

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