5 Things Experts Do Differently: Why How You Practice Matters More Than How Long

🎓 Sign up for the FREE 7-day "Pressure Proof" practice course: https://bulletproofmusician.com/press... 📚 Practice That Sticks — essential strategies for practicing smarter and more effectively, in about an hour: https://members.bulletproofmusician.c... Ever wonder why some musicians seem to get more out of their practice time than others — even when they're putting in the same hours? It might come down to how they practice, not how long. In this video, we look at a 2013 study that compared how expert and less-expert athletes approached practice — and what five key differences might mean for how musicians use their own practice time. IN THIS VIDEO: ▸ Why the gap between expert and less-expert performers might have nothing to do with how long they practice ▸ The one area experts spend most of their time on — and why most of us tend to avoid it ▸ Why experts do fewer repetitions but improve more ▸ What experts do between repetitions that less-expert performers tend to skip ▸ The difference between random and blocked practice — and why one creates an illusion of mastery ▸ What three outliers in the study revealed about what's really driving the results CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:51 The study: how experts actually practice 01:55 Finding 1: Work on weaker areas first 02:37 Finding 2: Fewer reps, more effort 03:16 Finding 3: Plan between repetitions 03:54 Finding 4: Random vs. blocked practice 05:03 Finding 5: The outlier results 05:41 How to apply this to your practice LINKS 📖 Original post: How Do Experts Get Even Better? 5 Differences Between the Practice of Expert and Intermediate Athletes https://bulletproofmusician.com/how-d... 🎥 Related video: How Professional Musicians Practice Difficult Passages — conversation with Micah Killion https://bulletproofmusician.com/micah... 🎥 Related video: On Habits That Separate Good Musicians from Great Ones — conversation with Ida Kavafian https://bulletproofmusician.com/ida-k... REFERENCE Coughlan, E. K., Williams, A. M., McRobert, A. P., & Ford, P. R. (2014). How experts practice: A novel test of deliberate practice theory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(2), 449–458. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034302 NOA KAGEYAMA Performance psychologist Noa Kageyama is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music. A conservatory-trained violinist with degrees from Oberlin and Juilliard before pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology at Indiana University, he now specializes in teaching performing artists how to utilize sport psychology principles and more consistently perform up to their full abilities under pressure. Noa's work has appeared in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NBC News, CNN, Slate, WNYC radio, Strings Magazine, Musical America, and Lifehacker. DISCLAIMER All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for therapy or personalized advice from a qualified professional. If something here raises concerns for you, please consider speaking with a licensed healthcare provider who can provide guidance specific to your individual situation. #MusicPractice #PracticeSmarter #Musician