If you've watched any sports - especially golf, basketball, and tennis - you've probably noticed that many athletes have a pre-shot, pre-free throw, or pre-serve ritual that they go through before performing that skill. Many musicians have rituals too, even if it's as simple as wiping your hands on your pants or hearing the opening of a piece to get the tempo in mind before you begin playing. Athletes' routines tend to be very consistent, and don't change from game to game or shot to shot. But how important is it to keep your routine consistent? Does it matter how long the routine takes, or whether the ingredients of your routine remain the same from one performance to the next? Get all the nerdy details here: How Consistent Do Pre-Performance Routines Need to Be? ==== Have you been feeling a little stuck or stagnant in the practice room? Or has performance anxiety been a nagging issue that hasn’t gotten any better, no matter how prepared you feel before performances, auditions, or even lessons for that matter? If you’ve been wanting to experience more joy in the practice room and play more like yourself on stage, but haven’t been quite sure how to make that happen, starting October 15th, 2023, I’ll be teaching a live, online, 4-week class on the most essential mental skills and practice strategies that can make a difference in your practicing and performing. We’ll meet once a week via Zoom and explore the relevant research in four essential areas, experiment with a curated set of exercises and techniques together as a group, and to make sure the ideas become consistent habits, I'll show you how to gently integrate these new skills into your (or your students’) daily practice through bite-sized practice challenges alongside a supportive group of practice buddies from around the world. Registration is open now and runs through Monday, October 9th. Over 1300 musicians, educators, and students and learners of all ages have participated in the course to date. You can find out what they're saying and learn how to join Cohort 15 at: bulletproofmusician.com/essentials