A pianist once told me the last thing their teacher said at their final lesson after years of study: “Now forget everything I ever told you.”
Not exactly the parting wisdom you’d expect, right?
But hidden in that odd-sounding advice is an important mental shift that could help you play with more freedom and confidence under pressure.
Get all the nerdy details in today's episode. Or, get the text version with references, links, and other details right here:
How to Use Focus Cues to Play More Freely on Stage
A live online performance enhancement class (registration closes on 9.28.2025)
Performance Psych Essentials: Work on practicing more effectively and performing more optimally alongside a global cohort of musicians, educators, and learners of all ages. Registration for the live online 4-week class is open! (Class runs from October 5 - November 2)
References
Aiken, C. A., & Becker, K. A. (2022). Utilising an internal focus of attention during preparation and an external focus during execution may facilitate motor learning. European Journal of Sport Science, 23(2), 259–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2042604
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