Concentration

A Classic Test of Focus That Most Will Fail in the First 10 Seconds

One of the first things I typically do on an airplane is look for the SkyMall catalog. I’ve never actually purchased anything from the catalog, but it’s always fun to see what new cool overpriced and unnecessary (but still tempting) items might be out there. Sometimes I’ll even rip out a page and take it [...]

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Practicing with the TV for Laser-like Focus

The date is Saturday, February 23, 1991. Violinist Isaac Stern is in the midst of performing a Mozart concerto with the Israel Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting, only to be interrupted by air raid sirens signaling a Scud missile attack. The orchestra leaves the stage to put on protective gear; the audience remain in their seats [...]

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One Simple Change That Can Increase Your Odds of Winning an Audition

How much time per day we should spend practicing for optimal performance is a popular point of discussion. But when was the last time you had a conversation with another musician about how much time per day we should spend sleeping for optimal performance? According to sleep researchers such as James Maas of Cornell University, [...]

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Essential Neuroanatomy for Musicians in 19 Minutes

You may remember the article on Centering, where I wrote about left-brain and right-brain processing differences, and how these differences often dictate success and failure in high-pressure situations. Watching a video about neuroanatomy and hemispheric lateralization is not most folks’ idea of a good time. However, I recently came across a video which does a [...]

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Frustrated with Lack of Progress in the Practice Room?

I’ve been told that there are two basic strategies for cultivating a weed-free lawn. The obvious method is to go around with a bottle of weed killer and kill all the weeds you can find. Of course, what you get then is a bunch of dead brown spots with little patches of sad-looking grass filling [...]

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