Research-based strategies for practice that “sticks” - and also transfers better to the stage
Olympic diving coach Jeff Huber once remarked that he had two goals for his athletes. One, was to help them learn how to dive better. The other, was to help them learn how to dive better in competition.
Indeed, we’re all familiar with “but it sounded better at home!” syndrome, because learning a skill and being able to perform that skill under pressure are unique challenges, requiring different methods of preparation.
In this session, we will experiment with research-based strategies for practice that "sticks” and transfers better to the stage, as well as the two causes of “choking” under pressure, and an attention control strategy that many elite performers use to get into flow states and perform their best when it counts.
Performance psychologist Noa Kageyama is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the New World Symphony. Formerly a conservatory-trained violinist with degrees from Oberlin and Juilliard before completing a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Indiana University, Noa specializes in teaching musicians how to utilize sport psychology principles and demonstrate their full abilities under pressure.
Noa's work has appeared in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, WNYC radio, Musical America, and Lifehacker. He maintains a coaching practice and online mental skills courses, and authors The Bulletproof Musician blog and podcast.