Ever had one of those “I’m a total failure, and I’m never going to be invited to play with these folks again” moments?

In this month’s chat, pianist Orli Shaham shares a deeply personal story about a performance at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, where rehearsals went so badly, that the piece she prepared was pulled from the program. It felt like a “complete failure” at the time, but the experience prompted her to evaluate her preparation process. Which eventually led to one of her career highlights - a performance of John Adams’s first piano concerto, in Carnegie Hall, where Adams came onstage during the applause and gave her the greatest compliment she could have asked for, as he said “You got it. You really got it.”

If you’ve ever struggled with feeling out of your depth, this episode is for you.

Get all the nerdy details right here:
Orli Shaham: On Overcoming Setbacks and Learning to Trust the Process

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Have you been feeling stuck in the practice room, like your progress has plateaued? Or maybe performance anxiety continues to sneak up on you, even when you know you’ve prepared as much as you possibly could - for performances, auditions, or even lessons?

If you’ve been wanting to experience more satisfaction and progress in the practice room, and play more like yourself on stage, I’ll be teaching a live online, 4-week class addressing these frustrating - but solvable - challenges starting February 2, 2025.

In this class, we’ll explore four key skill areas—effective practice, managing anxiety, enhancing focus, and building confidence. Through weekly Zoom sessions, we’ll work on practical, research-based exercises as a group. And to help these skills become lasting habits, you’ll get bite-sized practice challenges to gently weave into your daily routine, supported by a global community of practice buddies.

Registration is open now through Sunday, January 26th

Over 2000 musicians, educators, and learners of all ages have already gone through the course. You can read their stories and sign up to join Cohort 21 at: bulletproofmusician.com/essentials