In an ideal world, we’d be building confidence in the practice room from one day to the next, but sometimes that can be easier said than done. It’s easy for the voice in our head to get very judge-y and negative and make us feel like we’re playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Where every time we think we’ve solved a problem, a new one pops up to take its place. Whether it’s getting through challenging passages that have become “a thing,” troubleshooting intonation in an ensemble without judgment, or making sure you’re not accidentally reinforcing bad habits when practicing slowly, bassoonist Benjamin Kamins has seen it or worked through it in his years as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist, educator, and Alexander Technique teacher. In this month’s interview, you’ll hear lots of anecdotes and tips for overcoming some of the common challenges we often encounter in the practice room and on stage. Get all the nerdy details (and transcript) here: Benjamin Kamins: On Self-Judgment, Slow Practice, and Reed-Making Also, have you ever wondered why practicing more doesn't increase confidence or reduce nerves all that well? There’s no single one-size-fits-all solution for beating performance anxiety of course, but there is a recipe. A set of ingredients, in different proportions, that work together and complement each other. And don't worry - one of the ingredients isn't "just practice more." 😅 If you’ve had a nagging feeling that something in your practice or preparation needs to change, but you weren’t sure what exactly, I’d love to share with you the most helpful research-based strategies and techniques that I’ve learned in the last couple decades. It’s a course that’s based on the semester-long classes I teach at Juilliard and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and if you sign up during the holiday BOGO event, which ends Sunday, December 3rd, at 11:59pm Pacific, you’ll receive a second bonus account that you can gift to a practice buddy of your choice. Why a second account? Not just because it’s the holiday season, or so you can split the cost with a buddy, but because the research suggests that there really is something to the saying “If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far; go together.” You can see what other musicians are saying about Beyond Practicing and get the BOGO offer right here: bulletproofmusician.com/beyondpracticing...