Welcome!
Hi! My name is Noa Kageyama – I’m a performance psychologist, and am on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music. But once upon a time, I was that sleepy-looking 2-year old learning how to hold a violin. (You can watch a short video profile about the journey here or read a more complete bio here.)
Like learning any other skill, everything was mostly rainbows and unicorns at first, but it wasn’t long before I began experiencing stretches of frustrating practice days, where it felt like I was stuck – or getting worse. And on stage, I struggled with nerves, worries about memory slips, cold, clammy, shaky hands, a racing heartbeat, doubts, fears, and all the rest.
No matter how much I practiced, or how many bananas I ate, I never could figure out how to beat anxiety and perform my best when it really mattered.
Until I went to Juilliard, and took a class simply titled “Performance Enhancement,” taught by sport psychologist Don Greene. I had never heard of this area of psychology, but what I learned changed everything.
What do elite performers do differently?
I discovered that that top athletes don’t just train physically, but engage in a ton of mental training as well. Furthermore, they understand that learning a skill and performing that skill are two very different challenges – and that success in each requires a different type of practice.
Which might sound pretty obvious. But at the time, I didn’t know how to translate any of this into my practice. Like, what does mental training actually look like? How exactly is practicing for skill and practicing for performance different? How the heck does one manage nerves, or “practice” confidence or focus?
Answering such questions is what this blog is about. Taking what researchers have learned, and what great musicians have intuited, and figuring out how to put all of it into action. Both in the practice room, and on stage.
Ready to learn how?
Where to Begin
A Quiz
If you’re not quite sure where to start or what to work on first, I’d recommend taking the Mental Skills Audit.
This 4-min quiz will help you discover your mental strengths and weaknesses and point you in the direction of the articles that will be most helpful.
Besides, who doesn’t love a good online quiz? 😁
The Blog
Here are some good starting places, selected from the 600+ research-based articles freely available on the blog:
The Podcast
There are dozens of interviews here as well – perfect for the daily commute or when you’re doing some chores around the house:
Weekly Newsletter
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Plus, during your first week as a new subscriber, you’ll also receive some bonus training – a 7-day crash course on performance practice (aka Pressure Proof).
In this free email course, you’ll discover what causes “but-it-sounded-better-at-home!” syndrome and experiment with practice strategies that will help you experience more joy and satisfaction in the practice room and on stage.