Musicality Now

Hello, and welcome to Beatles Month! Today we're kicking off a very special series of episodes where we'll be celebrating all things Fab Four - and particularly diving into all the musicality questions we're so interested in here at Musical U - like what makes a song tick, how to understand what you hear in music, and what are the concrete, practical skills that underlie apparent musical "talent". Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 167 Links and Resources • About Active Listening Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Learning music can sometimes be frustrating. It can feel like you're putting in a ton of effort with very little results to show for it. But at the same time we all know that persistence is the key to success. So how do you know when you're being virtuous for persisting - and when you're just bashing your head against a brick wall? How do you know whether to give up or stick with it? Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 166 Links and Resources • Is it time to "break up" with music? - episode includes the "Should I Stick With It?" cheat sheet Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hey - do you feel like giving up? Is your musical life driving you a bit crazy and you're wondering if you should just throw in the towel? Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 165 Links and Resources • Should I stick with it? - cheat sheet • Hey! Where are you going? • Forget Being Realistic - Do This Instead Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hey, Christopher here, director of Musical U, and normally your host for the show. But today we have something a bit different for you. Now, I'll apologize in advance if you hear marching band music in the background. It's because I'm in Valencia in Spain at the moment, and they're celebrating this weekend, the Fallas festival and there's literally a marching band proceeding along outside my window. They've been playing all morning. It's a lot of fun - but not ideal when you're trying to record some video. So if you can hear a little trumpets and horns in the background, I apologize. What we have for you today is something a bit different and in a minute I'm going to disappear, and I will not be involved in the episode at all, because what we have is a team episode of the show. We've got the Musical U team together, and what we're doing is it kind of came out of happenstance where we had a few weeks in a row where on our team call, one of the members of the Musical U team randomly mentioned they listened to an old episode of the musicality podcast and learn something really cool, or they particularly enjoyed something. After that happened a few weeks in a row I was like "this is kind of cool we should do something with this". So what I did was I corralled Adam Liette, our Communications Manager, to get the team together for kind of a "show and tell" episode where each of them would bring along an old episode of the Musicality Podcast, an old interview we did with a musicality expert, and share a little bit about what resonated with them or what they learned, or their own opinions and insights on that topic. So that's what they did. The team got together, that's Stewart Hilton, Andrew Bishko, Adam Liette and Anastasia Voitinskaia, joined with our latest recruit Zac Bailey. They all got together, each bringing an episode to the table to share what they enjoyed about that episode. It turned out fantastic. They themed it all around practicing, and a little bit of performing stuff crept in there too. I thoroughly enjoyed listening back to the recording afterwards, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. It certainly inspired me to go back and listen again to some of those past interviews. So, that's it from me I'm going to leave you in Adam's capable hands in just a moment. Last thing to say it's just, if you do enjoy this episode, please hit us up on social media and let the team know. You can go to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram you'll find us under Musical U, and I would love for you to just show the team some love, show them some support. Tell them what you enjoyed about this episode, and hopefully we can tempt them back to do this again another time. That's it for me - enjoy the episode. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 164 Links and Resources • What Your Voice Can Do, with Jeremy Fisher • About Hacking Habituation • Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo • Learning to Rock the Stage, with Kevin Richards • Top Musicality Tools and Tech, with Katie Wardrobe • Making Music Learning a Picnic, with Ruth Power Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

If you're pursuing a music dream of any kind, the chances are that there's one big thing standing in your way. At Musical U we talk a lot about your Big Picture Vision and getting clear on the things you're most excited about achieving in your musical life if everything went perfectly. Your ideal musical future. This is a powerful idea - but there's a big barrier that often holds people back. In this episode you'll learn what that barrier is and how you can stop it from holding you back from your true musical potential. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 163 Links and Resources • Big Picture Vision episode: "Hey! Where Are You Going?" Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever wanted to get out there and start performing? Maybe solo at an open mic night, maybe getting involved in the local blues jam, maybe starting or joining a band - or even going out and getting paying gigs as a live performer. If so, you might have found yourself in the situation many of us do: our skills are up to scratch but we're still not ready. Emotionally, mentally, psychologically, we just have some kind of barrier that stops us from taking the plunge. Today on the show we have a returning guest, our friend Brent Vaartstra from the Learn Jazz Standards podcast, and his new show, Passive Income Musician. When Brent was with us before, we talked mostly about jazz and improvisation, but today we wanted to dig into something different with him: what it's like to be a gigging musician. From the practicalities to the juicy mindset stuff that can make the difference between sitting alone at home practicing by yourself for the rest of your life - and getting out there and sharing your music with the world confidently in a variety of musical situations. Brent shares some really valuable insights and actionable tips, including: • The number one most important thing to do in advance of a session or gig • How to handle a new and intimidating performance situation, especially as an introvert • And we talk about "Imposter Syndrome" - that psychological phenomenon where you continually worry you'll be found out as a fraud - even when you are actually good enough for what you're doing - and Brent shares his six tips for overcoming it. We loved having this opportunity to draw on Brent's expertise and wisdom beyond the world of jazz, and we know you're going to find a ton of valuable stuff here, especially if performing is part of your musical life - or you wish it would be! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 162 Links and Resources • Learn Jazz Standards • Learn Jazz Standards podcast • Passive Income Musician podcast • Getting Over "Imposter Syndrome" as an Online Music Educator - podcast episode Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You can enjoy the process of learning music. You *should*, in fact! Believing that enjoyment and achievement are mutually exclusive is holding you back from your true musical potential. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 161 Links and Resources • Forrest Kinney and Brent Vaartstra on improving your musical life Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined on the show by John Hatcher, the founder of Blues Guitar Institute, a website and YouTube channel devoted to teaching acoustic blues guitar with a simple straight-forward approach. John was the winner of TrueFire's Next Top Guitar Instructor contest and over the last several years has been steadily growing a devoted following of keen blues guitarists. We have been struck by how John incorporates theory and ear training into his teaching and makes a genre that's often seen as very specialised and exclusive into something welcoming and accessible - so we were keen to invite him on the show to share more about learning an instrument in a balanced way, and how to explore the blues. In this conversation we talk about: • Why chasing flashy instrument technique can harm your development as a musician • What the earliest blues musicians would have to say about the idea that you need to be "born with the blues" to play it • His innovative "Microlicks" approach to breaking free from formulaic solos and being more creative when you improvise Naturally this episode will be of particular interest to guitarists and blues fans but there are lots of interesting ideas here for any musician, so we hope you'll enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 160 Links and Resources • Blues Guitar Institute • Blues Guitar Institute - YouTube channel • Microlicks tutorials Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you wished you could improvise, but found the whole thing intimidating, overwhelming, or just a complete mystery? There's one thing I can tell you, in just a few minutes, that will let you begin improvising today and set you up for continued success. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 159 Links and Resources • Patterns and Playgrounds: 4 Ways to Approach Improvisation • About Improvisation - podcast episode Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Evelyn Glennie is the world's first full time solo percussionist, whose mission in life is to teach the world to listen. Her TED talk entitled "How to truly listen" has been viewed almost five million times. And if that wasn't remarkable enough, take a peek at the description or presenter bio for that TED talk and you'll discover that Evelyn actually lost almost all her hearing at the age of twelve. One might assume that a deaf musician must just be playing from memory or from instructions - which would make it a strong example of the kind of "robotic playing" we often talk about getting away from on this show. But Evelyn actually represents the polar opposite - her deep focus on listening and feeling each and every note makes her a prime example of just the kind of truly intentional, expressive playing that we celebrate and seek to encourage here at Musical U. Evelyn has given deep and careful thought to the topic of listening - and sound, and music, and how our relationship with each of these can transform our lives and the lives of those around us. From her TED talk to provocative sound art installations to YouTube teaching videos and of course her professional performing career, Evelyn's work just sparks of passion, creativity and wisdom - and so to say we were eager to pick her brains about musicality and the listening skills of music would be a huge understatement! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 158 Links and Resources • Evelyn's website • Evelyn Glennie: How To Truly Listen - TED Talk • Evelyn Glennie: Interview from Playing from the Heart DVD • Listening to The Tempest, a tale to cure deafness • What Makes Us Human? • Questions Answered: Can Musicality Be Taught? Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Does the idea of improvising scare you? Have you given it a try but quickly decided you didn't have what it takes? If so, we would understand. In this episode, we're going to talk about where that fear comes from, how you can overcome it, and how to make it easy to learn to improvise. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 157 Links and Resources • Intro to Improv practice plan • Approaching Improvisation module • Introduction to Improvisation • About Improvisation - podcast episode Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Let us ask: how do you feel about your singing voice? We're guessing that whether you consider yourself "a singer" or not, your answer probably isn't "my singing voice is amazing and I am 100% comfortable with how it sounds at all times!" If you've ever felt unsure about your voice - maybe that's even held you back from trying to learn to sing - or if you are a singer and you're trying to tap in to "your sound" or "your true voice" - stay tuned. Today we're joined by Nikki Loney from Full Voice Music. Nikki is a professional singer and voice teacher and creates resources to help other voice teachers with young singers in particular. Nikki was introduced to us by Sara Campbell, our former piano pro at Musical U who's a voice teacher and singer herself, and she made the connection because Nikki's speciality is something near and dear to our heart here at Musical U: helping people "make peace" with their voice. It's easy to imagine singing as a technical skill, like learning how to move your fingers right to play guitar or piano. But although there is that pure technique that must be learned, singing is unique among instruments because it is so deeply and intimately a part of who we are. And that means that for many beginner singers - or those who want to begin, or even those who dream of beginning but feel it's beyond them - the biggest barrier is how we feel about our own voice. This is such an important part of the the big bundle of "learning to sing" and it's rarely given enough attention in the establishment of learning to sing - so that only those who are already comfortable about their voice and being a singer actually learn to sing. As you'll be hearing, we have a shared passion (slash rage) about how society and culture treat singing and how things can be made dramatically better and more welcoming to those who've felt locked out of the world of singing - as well as those who are on the path but have hangups about how they sound. Nikki has some fantastic insights from a breadth of experience teaching, and in this conversation she shares: • The gift for singing that she had growing up - and it's not what you might think. • How she found her own voice - and what literally it means to do that, to "find your voice" • How to know if you're good enough to start singing lessons and what specifically can help you to find the right teacher This conversation was a total delight and we know that whatever relationship you have with singing there are going to be some fresh perspectives and we hope some powerful encouragement for you in this episode. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 156 Links and Resources • The Full Voice • The Full Voice podcast • Sane Singing, by D. Brian Lee • 10 Things Your Voice Teacher Wants You To Know About Singing Lessons • The ONE Word That Will Make Your Students Sing Better • Helping Students "Make Peace" With Their Voice • Strategies For Shy Singers - The Full Voice podcast episode • Vocal Exploration Exercises - The Full Voice podcast episode Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Playing by ear and improvisation are two of the most sought-after skills in music. The key to learning these skills is to train your ear to effortlessly recognize the relationships between notes - and the answer doesn't necessarily lie in learning intervals! Musical U founder Christopher Sutton talks about the intuitive solfa method for recognizing notes and why it works. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 155 Links and Resources • Full Facebook Live video at Ultimate Music Theory • Music Theory You'll Love to Learn, with Glory St. Germain • Starting Solfa Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Adam Neely, whose YouTube channel is followed by over 600,000 people - and is described as "video essays, lessons and vlogs on new horizons in music and music theory." More informally, we'd say that Adam makes some of the most solid and also thoroughly entertaining videos on music theory out there - and not the "this is a crotchet"-type music theory videos, he tackles the really odd and interesting questions, like "Why pop music sounds bad to you", "What is the slowest music humanly possible", "Why not to use E♭11 chords" and "Which key is the saddest?" We've long been fans and so it was a delight to get to sit down with Adam and learn more about his own musical background, and how he thinks about practicing, audiating, modern composing, and more. In this conversation we talk about: • How distinguishing between "prescriptive" and "descriptive" can totally flip how interesting learning music theory is for you • The perspective on keeping practice interesting that for us personally would have been a massive liberation if we could travel back in time and give it to our teenage selves • And a cool extension of audiation that goes beyond simply imagining a particular piece in your mind and lets you stretch your ear in interesting, creative ways Adam also reveals the particular vowel sound you should use when singing for ear training - and a whole lot more. Don't miss the shownotes for this episode at musicalitypodcast.com which will be packed with links to all the videos we mention, so you can go and do a deep dive of Adam's extensive and fascinating back catalog right after this interview. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 154 Links and Resources • Adam's YouTube channel • Why you should learn music theory (video) • The music theory of mashups (video) • John Cage's "4'33" • AUDIATION - play what you hear (video) • Why pop music sounds bad (to you) (video) • Which key is the saddest? (video) • Why You Shouldn't Use Tab (and it's not why you might think!) (video) • Exploring Minor Pentatonics - Linear Sequences (video) • 7 Cool Metronome Games (video) • Avoiding the 5/4 Clave (Sungazer's Ether) (video) • Drunk Septuplet Dubstep! (Sungazer's Dream of Mahjong) (video) • Scott's Bass Lessons • Turning Ordinary People Into Musicians, with Casey McCann • About the Ear Training Trap • The Gordon Institute for Music Learning Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this episode, we talk about your musical path and trajectory, encouraging you to think about your Big Picture Vision and how to get yourself there. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 153 Links and Resources • Big Picture Vision worksheet • About the Little "Why" • About Taking A Long-Term Mindset Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are super excited to be joined on the show today by Ruth Power, the creator of Piano Picnic - a method for learning to play piano by ear that remarkably manages to teach it in lessons so short and simple they almost guarantee a student will succeed. We admire and agree with Ruth's perspective and approach to teaching play-by-ear skills so much that when time came to look for a new Resident Pro for piano at Musical U, Ruth was the first person who sprang to mind. We talk a bit towards the end of the conversation about her work here and how she's helping our members apply their core training directly on keyboard in fun and creative ways. This conversation was great fun and there are lots of good piano-specific nuggets in here for anyone who's a pianist or wants to become one - but as always, most of the discussion is equally relevant and interesting whatever instrument you play. We talk about: • Ruth's own journey of learning to play by ear and the distinct phases she went through to develop a fully-fledged ability on keyboard • The particular challenges of playing by ear on piano compared with other instruments • The terrible piece of advice she was given early on about how to learn to play by ear - and her top tip for actually succeeding with it. That's just the start - we also talk about humming, about basslines, about why and how modern instrument learning can look different to the traditional methods, active listening, and a lot more. You're going to get a ton out of this one! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 152 Links and Resources • Piano Picnic • Songs by Ear course • Ear Bootcamp • Super Basics course Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This weekend we had an absolutely phenomenal masterclass with Marc Gelfo, the creator of the Modacity practice app, all about accelerating your music learning. Marc packed a ton into his masterclass, from highly practical, tactical ideas about how you practice, to some quite deep emotional and mindset guidance. It's no exagerration to say there were a couple of dozen really meaty ideas he shared, and everyone who attended found plenty to help accelerate their music learning. We're excited to be adding the recording to our masterclass library inside Musical U for members. Today I wanted to share just one small nugget with you, Marc's idea of "hacking habituation". As you'll be hearing, this led on to some interesting discussion of the emotion of musical expression and mastering the inner game too. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 151 Links and Resources • Marc's podcast interview: Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo • Modacity practice app Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we're talking with LaMar Queen, also known as Mr. Q-U-E, the rapper behind Music Notes, a company that's been having great success providing educational rap songs to schools across the U.S.A. Educational songs aren't a new idea but Music Notes brings a really fresh take to it, and their songs have been shown to improve test scores in non-music subjects as well as encouraging more responsible attitudes towards schoolwork and peer support for healthier living initiatives. We must confess that when we first came across Music Notes we thought it was really cool - but we weren't certain it was a good fit for this podcast... Because it's a fascinating musical project - but is it really about musicality? Well, as we dug in we realised that yes, there are some really interesting questions about musicality here that we were excited to pick Mr. Q-U-E's brains on. You'll find there are big learning points in this interview for any musician wanting to connect more deeply with music. We talk about: • Why music is so powerful as a channel for learning • The challenges of writing a song that has an impact beyond just entertainment • How Mr. Q-U-E got started freestyle rapping - and a simple way you can try it yourself We're really impressed with the work Mr. Q-U-E's doing with his team at Music Notes and it was cool to hear his thoughts on how their projects are influencing young minds both for their musical development and their education and upbringing outside of music. We all have a tendency to get stuck in the weeds and the nitty-gritty of learning music, so we hope this episode will do for you what it did for us, which was to serve as a great reminder of the magic of music and just how impactful it can be. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 150 Links and Resources • Music Notes Online • Music Notes on Facebook • Mr. Q-U-E's instructional music videos Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Alex Forbes from CreativeSongwriter.com. Alex has over 100 releases to her name including several Billboard-charting singles as well as tracks heard often on the radio and TV. She's taught songwriting at NYU's Steinhardt school and countless workshops and songwriting camps and collaborated with top musicians including Cyndi Lauper. She is the author of "Write Songs, Right Now" and as you're going to learn in this conversation she has a really sharp and refreshing attitude to the art and craft of songwriting. In this conversation we talk about: • Whether it was persistence or momentary inspiration that produced Alex's first big radio hit. • The most important thing a beginning songwriter should do on day one, and the #1 thing you can do to improve your odds of succeeding with it, and • The four elements she thinks are essential for a song to be really great. It should come as no surprise to regular listeners of this show that as someone invited to be a guest here she shares our encouraging and inclusive attitude to music-making. Far from teaching that song-writing is just for the gifted few, Alex teaches that anybody can and should give it a try - and her enthusiasm is infectious so we think there's a good chance you'll go away from this episode inspired to try writing a song or two yourself! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 149 Links and Resources • CreativeSongwriter.com • Breakthrough Song Workshop (video series) • Contact Alex Forbes Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with someone we've wanted to have on the show since day one, a long-time collaborator at Musical U and at Easy Ear Training before that, Sabrina Peña Young. Sabrina is an award-winning composer who created the first ever original fully-animated opera, Libertaria. We've long been in awe of the range and scale of projects Sabrina manages to take on and bring to success, and for the first time we got to sit down with her and actually dig into the question of how she manages to do all that she does. Sabrina is certainly someone who people would be quick to call "talented" or "gifted", yet we knew from working with her that she had as little belief in the importance of natural talent as we do - so we were utterly curious to know: if it's not talent, how does she do it all? In this conversation we talk about: • Sabrina's musical upbringing and how helpful attention to detail can become harmful perfectionism • The remarkable college environment that transformed who she was as a musician and shaped who she'd become as a composer and film-maker, and • The role that mentors have played in her journey and her advice for aspiring musicians seeking a mentor themselves. With Sabrina's extensive experience, fascinating projects and deep expertise, this conversation was never going to be a short one! And honestly, even after running a bit long we felt we'd only just scratched the surface. We're hoping we'll be seeing Sabrina on the podcast again before too long! And we think after hearing this episode you're going to be feeling the same way. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 148 Links and Resources • Sabrina Peña Young's website • Composer Boot Camp • You're Invited to Composer Boot Camp, with Sabrina Peña Young (interview) • Songwriting 101, by Sabrina Peña Young • Filmmaking Crash Course, by Sabrina Peña Young • Libertaria: The Virtual Opera, on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon • Futurist Music Anthology Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Can you imagine having the kind of musical mind that can: - Hear music and effortlessly recognise the notes and chords by ear. - Glance at sheet music, tab or a chord chart and immediately hear in your head how it should sound. - Spontaneously create your own original musical ideas as easily as breathing and share them with other musicians or an audience using your voice or your instrument. - Just sit down and play for your own pleasure, relaxation and creative fulfilment. - Sit in on jam sessions or gigs with any group of musicians with no prior preparation required because you know you'll have something solid to contribute. A musical mind that feels capable and confident in any musical situation – because you understand instinctively how music is put together. The kind of musical mind that makes learning new things in music is a breeze – because everything just connects together and makes sense. Does that sound exciting to you? In our Musicality Unleashed series we've been talking about the mindset shifts and mental models which can empower you to do all these things and more. And last time we talked about how to bring this all together with the established "Kodály" approach which has been proven over decades to effectively put in place an empowering foundation of musicality. After discovering the effectiveness of the Kodály approach I decided we had to do something to get it into more people's hands, so last year we launched the first ever online training course following a Kodály approach, Foundations of a Musical Mind. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 147 Links and Resources • Get the Musicality Unleashed cheat sheet 1: The Truth About Talent 2: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing 3: What Makes a Musician a "Natural"? 4: Did You Skip Step One? 5: A Better Mental Model For Pitch 6: A Better Mental Model For Rhythm 7: Don't Just Learn Songs - Learn Music Through Songs 8: Singing Is Your Birthright 9: Creativity Is The Vehicle, Not The Destination • Foundations of a Musical Mind: Special Launch Offer! Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We've been talking in this Musicality Unleashed series about some powerful insights and mindset shifts for tapping into your inner musician and transforming how free, confident and creative you feel in music. We've talked particularly about mental models - and how it's a foundation of the right mental models which can set you up for success and turn you into the "natural" musician who can learn new musical concepts and skills quickly and easily, and empower you to do impressive things instinctively, like play by ear, improvise, and create your own music. We've talked about solfa and rhythm syllables as two specific examples of those empowering mental models and about song-based learning as a neat way to make it a fun and musical experience to develop your musical mind. We also looked at creativity and how it's something that can actually make your music learning easier and more enjoyable when you include it as soon as possible as the vehicle, not the destination. Okay, so how are we going to bring this all together? Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 146 Links and Resources • Get the Musicality Unleashed cheat sheet 1: The Truth About Talent 2: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing 3: What Makes a Musician a "Natural"? 4: Did You Skip Step One? 5: A Better Mental Model For Pitch 6: A Better Mental Model For Rhythm 7: Don't Just Learn Songs - Learn Music Through Songs 8: Singing Is Your Birthright 9: Creativity Is The Vehicle, Not The Destination • Foundations of a Musical Mind Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about ways of infusing your musical journey with creativity right from the get-go. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 145 Links and Resources • Discover Your Own Musical Creativity, with Forrest Kinney • Circles of Creativity, with Tim Topham • Finding and Sustaining Creativity, with David Andrew Wiebe Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about the roadblock of musicians thinking they cannot sing because they are tone deaf, and outline the first steps in learning to sing naturally, confidently, and expressively. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 144 Links and Resources • What if I'm Tone Deaf? • About Finding Your Note • Learning to Sing in Tune, with George Bevan • Singing as a Tool Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about how you can connect the music theory and ear training you're learning with the music you want to play and are passionate about. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 143 Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we share an intuitive model for counting rhythm: rhythm syllables! Learn why this method trumps the "1-e-and-a 2-e-and-a" method by a mile. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 142 Links and Resources • Talking Rhythm: The Kodály Method • Talking Rhythm: Syncopated Rhythms and the Kodály Method • Musicality Unleashed: A Better Mental Model for Pitch Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we delve into the oft-debated topic of how to learn pitch - and the answer doesn't lie in intervals! Learn about the power of solfa and how it can help you understand the relationships between notes that is natural, intuitive, and simple. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 141 Links and Resources • Solfege: Why Do Re Mi Isn't Just Child's Play • Starting Solfa • Musicality Unleashed: Did You Skip Step One? Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we discuss the importance of having a solid foundation in music - and how neglecting to build this foundation can be detrimental to your musical understanding and autonomy later in your journey. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 140 Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: What Makes A Musician A "Natural" • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we explore what really makes a musician "natural" - and as you'll learn, it's not countless hours spent at the instrument! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 139 Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we discuss the three aspects necessary for becoming a great musician - and how traditional music education often ignores two of them. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 138 Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we unpack the concept of "talent", reveal why it's a myth, and how this knowledge can help you shift your mindset to realize your full musical potential. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 137 Links and Resources • The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • The Talent Myth: Why Talent is the Least Important Part of Being a Musician • Beyond the "Quick Fix", with Ged Brockie • About the 10,000 Hour Rule Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Happy new year! We're excited to announce some changes that we'll be making to the Musicality Podcast to continue bringing you the best content for helping you nurture your inner musicality. Here's to your continued musical success in 2019! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 136 Links and Resources • Musical U YouTube channel Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Big "Why" drives our musical journey forwards - it's our big-picture vision, our musical dream. But what about the Little "Why"? In this episode, we talk about the questions that you should frequently ask yourself about your musical trajectory to ensure you're on the right track. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 135 Links and Resources • LJS 82: How to Set Game-Changing Goals for Your Musicianship, with Christopher Sutton • About Choosing an Online Music Course • About Taking a Long-Term Mindset Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Lisa McCormick discusses the concept of the "self" in music, the importance of nurturing a positive and constructive mindset for learning, and the need for a holistic approach to practicing that encourages constant dialogue between mind, body, and music. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 134 Links and Resources • Lisa McCormick's website • Note2Self: "I Love This!", with Lisa McCormick Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Get acquainted with the two meanings of the word "clave", hear the instrument in action, and learn how to count out the ubiquitous rhythm that borrows its name from the instrument. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 133 Links and Resources • Clave: The Secret key to Pop Rhythm • Why is son clave so awesome? by Ethan Hein Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the distinct pleasure of talking with Noa Kageyama, whose website and podcast The Bulletproof Musician is known as the leading source for the most up-to-date research-based insights and strategies for practice and performance in music. He tackles topics like deliberate practice, accelerated learning, stage fright, and recovering from mistakes, and does so not only as a musician himself but as an expert in the fields of music and sports psychology. Noa started in music as a toddler and went on to study at Julliard - but as you'll learn in this conversation, that seemingly straight-line path to professional musician success suddenly paused at that point and took a fascinating new direction which led to Noa's success today as a respected expert in the psychology of performance in music. In this conversation we talk about: • The connection between "practice mode" and "performance mode". • What you should be thinking about during a performance. • The third area alongside practice and performing where Noa gained new insights that transformed his enjoyment of his musical life. The team here at Musical U, we are all massive fans of The Bulletproof Musician and we're often resharing Noa's articles and episodes, so we've been really looking forward to having him join us here on the podcast and it lived up to all expectations. There are a ton of potential mindset breakthroughs waiting for you in this episode - enjoy! And don't forget we love to hear from you at musicalitypodcast.com/hello any time you particularly enjoy an episode or have thoughts to share. So do let me know what you thought of this one, at muscialitypodcast.com/hello Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 132 Links and Resources • The Bulletproof Musician • TED Talk: How I climbed a 3,000-foot vertical cliff - without ropes, by Alex Honnold • TED Talk: The transformative power of classical music, with Benjamin Zander • Full interview with Shawn Johnson on Freakonomics • This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel Levitin • Interview with Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra • "Beyond Practicing" course Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Musical U's own Adam Liette talks about his long and winding musical journey - from his conservatory years, to serving his country through music in the Army band, to his work at Musical U - and the realizations he's made along the way about playing professionally vs. playing for the sake of joy and fulfillment. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 131 Links and Resources • About the Message in the Music Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Josh Wright, a highly successful pianist whose first solo album topped the Billboard "classical" chart. He's played with a number of symphony orchestras, won prizes in international piano competitions, and studied with some of the world's greatest piano teachers. He shares the insights and strategies he's learned along the way through his highly popular YouTube channel "Josh Wright Piano TV". We had been really impressed by the practice and performance tips Josh shares in particular and so we were excited to have him as a guest on the show to dive into these topics as well as his own musical journey. In this conversation we talk about: • How to make technique exercises more interesting and a more valuable use of your practice time • The clever performance strategy that involved him making snowballs before sitting down at the keyboard • The three "levers" you can play around with to transform a robotic performance into a truly musical one • The reason he will still travel long distances to go visit his childhood piano teacher when preparing new repertoire. This was a seriously value-packed conversation, Josh has tons of practical tips and mindset-shifting insights which he shares freely so we know you'll be taking away some impactful ideas from this episode for your own practicing and performing. One quick note - we failed to sound check the piano before we began the interview and so there are a few spots where Josh demonstrates something and you'll hear the sound get a bit crunchy. We apologise for that, but we think the points he's making still come across fine. We hope you'll enjoy this episode! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 130 Links and Resources • Josh Wright Piano • Josh Wright's web store - 20% off everything with coupon code PODCAST • Josh Wright's courses on Teachable.com - 20% off with coupon code PODCAST • How to Learn A New Piano Piece Quickly and Efficiently • How to Memorize Music Quickly and Effectively • Efficient Practice Piano Lesson • A Quick Fix For Weak Spots In Your Playing • 5 Tips To Get Rid of Nerves and Stage Fright When Performing • Overcoming Performance Anxiety and Stage Fright • Mastering Rubato: How To Sound Like a Pro • Tone Quality - Create a More Beautiful Sound At The Piano • The Piano Mastery Checklist • The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

At some point in your musical journey, you may find yourself feeling totally discouraged because everything is too hard and complicated in your music learning. This is called overwhelm, and fortunately there are numerous ways to combat it. In this episode, we outline some strategies to overcome overwhelm, and explain how they help you streamline and focus your practice. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 129 Links and Resources • Handout on the MAGIC Framework for goal-setting • About Choosing an Online Music Course Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we're joined by one of our favourite people in the world of online music education, and maybe just one of our favourite people in general, and that's Tim Topham, who heads up TimTopham.com, the home of creative piano teaching online. Tim's really a thought-leader among piano teachers when it comes to making piano lessons fun and creative, getting off book and away from the dry rote learning, and into a world where the student is actually empowered to feel confident and creative on the keyboard. We've long been fans of Tim's work, and we've actually interviewed him a couple of times for our website in the past - so we decided it was long overdue to have him on the podcast and he kindly agreed. Hearing him talk, it's probably not surprising he's as well known and well respected as he is in the world of piano teaching - but what maybe is surprising is the route he took to get there... In this conversation you'll hear about: • Why it may have been a good thing that Tim took a ten year hiatus from focusing on piano, and the impact that had on how he teaches • The value of getting "off the page" - and the part of this which is often glossed over but actually essential • The relationship between creative exercises in composing and improvisation on your instrument and "ear training" exercises for developing your musical ear This episode will obviously be of particular interest to any piano teachers, or indeed piano students out there, but as always the topics and ideas we discuss can be useful to any music learner wanting to develop their musicality. And Tim shares some really cool ideas and specific suggestions, so we know you'll get a lot out of this one. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 128 Links and Resources • The Power of 4-Chord Composing • Annual professional membership to InnerCircle – discount code is: MUSICALUPOD • Ultimate Guide to the Circle of Fifths Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Katie Wardrobe of Midnight Music shares her tips on hearing key changes in music. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 127 Links and Resources • Midnight Music • Special Membership Offer for podcast listeners Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Kevin Richards of RPM Vocal Studio, a renowned vocal coach who's worked as a musician, producer, songwriter and arranger for over 30 years, and coached Gold and Platinum award-winning artists including Bette Midler and Rod Stewart. As you'll be hearing in this interview Kevin has a particular angle on his vocal coaching that sets him apart from most of the technique-focused singing teachers and vocal coaches out there. Kevin specialises in the performance side of singing, meaning what you actually do up on stage or in front of a crowd and how you make sure your singing performance is the best it can be, even though you're far from the familiar and relaxed environment of the practice room. As we were preparing for this episode and trying to figure out what part of Kevin's expertise would be most useful to you all as listeners of the Musicality Podcast, we were really thinking about how some of you are, I'm sure, performing already - and looking for tips on improving. And others are probably too self-conscious or too unsure of your musical abilities to feel comfortable performing or taking center stage. We think whichever category you might be in, this episode is going to blow your mind a bit - and in a very good way. In this conversation we talk about: • Why performance was the big piece he found was missing from all the traditional material for learning to sing. • One slightly brutal but effective (and ultimately enjoyable) exercise he does with his students who are nervous to perform in front of people. • And how working as Rod Stewart's vocal coach revealed a remarkable attitude to performing that we can all learn from. This conversation was a total pleasure and really illuminating for us, so we hope you'll love it too. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 126 Links and Resources • RPM Vocal Studios • The Vox Shop • Kevin's YouTube channel • Confidence is Overrated video Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

David Andrew Wiebe from Music Entrepreneur HQ discusses the importance of approaching your musical journey with a long-term mindset, and how this sets you up for success and growth. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 125 Links and Resources • Music Entrepreneur HQ • Special Membership Offer for podcast listeners • Finding and Sustaining Creativity, with David Andrew Wiebe Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

How do you feel about sight-singing? To be handed a sheet of music and expected to sing it, perfectly, right off the bat? Or, stepping back, how do you feel about singing in general? Maybe even singing a familiar song seems a bit intimidating to you. Today on the show we're joined by Dale Duncan, also known as "Mr. D" online, who is the creator of a popular method for teaching sight-singing, specifically to grade-school students - perhaps one of the most self-conscious groups of students you can imagine to try to get singing! We were desperate to pick Dale's brains on how exactly he approaches this and how he's able to quickly get young people up to an impressive level of sight-singing that has them winning competitions and sight-singing material that the vast majority of experienced adult singers would struggle with. In this conversation we talk about: • How he helps students who struggle to sing in tune and why he never requires members of his choir to sing solo. • One core technique he uses to teach sight-singing, and how it enables you to practice sight-singing independent of score notation. • And the clever way he helps students to integrate their pitch and rhythm skills when sight-singing. Dale's "S-Cubed" method for teaching sight-singing is specifically designed to help other music teachers and choir directors like himself, but as you'll soon hear, Dale has a ton of insight that can be helpful to move anybody's singing or sight-singing forwards. We hope you'll enjoy this! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 124 Links and Resources • Dale's website, "In the Middle with Mr. D" • About S-Cubed • S-Cubed! Successful Sight Singing and Sight Reading Course for Middle School • "Forbidden pattern" game • S-Cubed Middle School Sight Singing - Singing Dotted Rhythms • Sight Singing - Follow the Hand • Music Prodigy app Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

What is the pentatonic scale, and why is it so popular? Learn about the inner mechanics of this scale, discover why its notes sound so consonant and natural together, and explore how you can use it to create beautiful melodies. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 123 Links and Resources • Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're speaking with Aimee Nolte, a jazz singer and pianist who has one of the most popular YouTube channels among musicians, focusing on jazz piano with a healthy dose of a lot of the skills we discuss here on the Musicality Podcast such as playing by ear, improvising, and singing in tune. Aimee's also a songwriter and recording artist and this year she's released two tracks from a forthcoming new album. Aside from just being wonderful music, these tracks are remarkable for the way Aimee's been openly sharing the process of writing, arranging, and recording them through videos on her YouTube channel. In this conversation we talk about: • One important part of Aimee's musical upbringing which let her make improvising and playing by ear a natural part of her musical identity from a very early age • What Aimee's been discovering as she digs into the topic of tone deafness and helping people learn to match pitch and sing in tune. • Aimee's relationship with sheet music, as someone who was predominantly a by-ear player - and whichever camp you fall in yourself, we think it'll surprise you. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 122 Links and Resources • Aimee Nolte's website • A Musical Conversation With My Mentor, Steve Call • About Teachers, Coaches, and Mentors • How To Figure Out Chords To Songs • How To Get Your Kids Started In Music • Point & Sing • Are You Tone Deaf? • Scat Singing 101 • About Singing as a Tool • Bruh, Do You EVEN Melody? • The Making Of My New Single: The Loveliest Girl • Falling Snow (In The Studio) Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team talks about setbacks and negative experiences in music, and how to move past them to maintain a positive musical trajectory. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 121 Links and Resources • Get Confident module at Musical U • About Mindfulness for Musicians • About Exploring Without Self-Judgement • About Recovering From Mistakes • About Your Voice Sounding Weird Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Professor Cynthia Crump Taggart, the President-Elect of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning. You might have heard that name "Gordon" in the world of music education as associated particularly with audiation, and in fact Edwin Gordon developed a whole approach to music learning which is called, simply enough, Music Learning Theory. We had been keen to invite a Music Learning Theory expert onto the show for a while because we've covered some of the other "biggies" in terms of music education methodologies that really cultivate musicality, like Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff, and we also talk a lot about audiation at Musical U, a word that Gordon himself invented. So we were delighted when Professor Crump Taggart agreed to come on the show and this conversation was really fruitful and fascinating. We talk about: • Her own musical upbringing and her first experiences learning from Edwin Gordon himself • The slightly imprecise way we tend to use the word "audiation" at Musical U and what it should really be used to mean • And the two simple activities Professor Taggart recommends if you want to incorporate Music Learning Theory into your own life as an adult musician. This was a super cool glimpse into both the history and roots of Music Learning Theory, as well as the practicalities of what it does and how. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 120 Links and Resources • Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum Grades K-6 • Music Play: The Early Childhood Music Curriculum • The Gordon Institute for Music Learning • Color In My Piano Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You may have heard the word Klezmer before - or maybe not! Learn more about this distinctive style of Jewish folk music with Musical U's Content Editor and Product Manager Andrew Bishko, who has developed a very close musical relationship with the genre over the course of his decades-long career. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 119 Links and Resources • Finding, Recovering, and Maintaining Motivation, with David Brown • Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr • The Alaska Klezmer Duo CD • Andrew Markus Bishko at Lebanon Globally Strong Culture Fair, teaching about Klezmer music • Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr, Belf's Khusidl Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Okay, first of all a heads-up. This interview ran long, like epically long. But it's also one of the most densely-interesting ones we've had the pleasure to do! So you are in for a treat. We've talked often on this podcast about musical "talent", including in our interview with Professor Anders Ericsson, the leading researcher on the topic, and the notion of talent and how it relates to musicality is obviously a really central one for everything we discuss on this show. We've also talked more than once about "deliberate practice", a specific practice methodology which can be applied to any instrument and task, and in fact across any discipline, not just music - and which promises to deliver several times faster progress for the same amount of time spent practicing. Our guest today, Jason Haaheim, is the clearest-cut example we've come across of someone who's taken these ideas on board, applied them very directly in his own life, and tracked and documented the results so as to demonstrate very clearly the impact they had. Jason began in his youth as a very casual musician and his studies and work life led him into science and engineering rather than music. But today Jason is principal timpanist for New York's Metropolitan Opera, one of the top professional percussion roles in the world. So how did that happen? In this conversation we talk about: • The three big turning points that took him from a casual high-school musician to a world-class professional orchestra player • The four characteristics you need to bring to your own music practice to achieve this kind of rapid progress yourself • How taking a scientific mindset can be reconciled with the "magic" of music that we all love If you're someone who has worried that it might be "too late" for you to reach an impressive level in music, we know you're going to find this episode illuminating and encouraging. We hope you'll enjoy this detailed conversation with Jason as much as we did. He's a fascinating man who's given these crucial topics deep thought and we can pretty much guarantee you're going to come away from this episode with a changed outlook on your own musical development. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 118 Links and Resources • How Did a Scientist Become Principal Timpanist of the MET Orchestra? • A Process for Everyone: Teachers, Freelancers, and Big-Job Auditioners • I Don't Care How Good You Are - I Care About the Trajectory You're Willing to Set • The Deliberate Practice Book Club • The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Becoming an Expert Learner, with Josh Plotner • Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin • Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, by Professor Anders Ericsson • The Bulletproof Musician • The Deliberate Practice Bootcamp and Northland Timpani Summit (timpani seminar with Jason Haaheim) Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review