Cellist Yumi Kendall has been the assistant principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2004, serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, co-hosts the Tacet No More podcast with bassist Joseph Conyers, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program.
In this episode, we explore…
- Yumi’s early musical influences
- What effective practice really means (and looks like)
- How Yumi balances competing demands and sets practice goals and intentions
- When is something good enough, and it’s time to move on?
- Biggest takeaways from her studies in the University of Pennsylvania’s positive psychology program
- Self-compassion, positive teaching, overcoming negative self-talk
- Identity and habit formation
- Yumi’s experience with performance anxiety and how she learned to get past this in the early part of her career
- Dealing with shaky bow
- What change would she love to see in the music industry?
For the complete transcript and other notes and links, visit:
Cellist Yumi Kendall: On Becoming a More Positive (And Effective) Practicer
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Want to perform up to your full abilities more consistently? Learn how, with evidence-based strategies that will accelerate your learning, and help you overcome performance anxiety, focus past distractions, quiet your inner critic, and play more confidently.
Check out the live online mental skills “Essentials” course which begins July 22nd, 2025: bulletproofmusician.com/essentials
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