Discussions on mindful music-making, efficient practice, and building a purposeful career with the performers, pedagogues, and innovators who are shaping the classical music world today! The Mind Over Finger Podcast is a resource for knowledge, insight, tips, tricks, and inspiration for musicians interested in learning more about practicing mindfully, performing optimally, and getting more intentional in creating a fulfilling musical career. We provide you with the tools to mindfully shift your musical practice from unconscious to deliberate, from paint-by-numbers to art by flow, from going through the motions to delightful play!
268 episodes transcribedWhat happens when the goals you set no longer fit the life you're actually living? In this first episode of Season 9, we're exploring how to pursue me...
Ben Ullery, Principal Viola of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, joins me for a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, lifelong learning, and what it...
What if the goal isn't to work harder, but to find the right pace? In this episode, I talk with science writer Elizabeth Svoboda, author of The Art of...
What happens when the audition is closer than you expected and the preparation feels impossible? In this episode, I'm talking about how to handle high...
What does it actually take to win a major orchestra audition? In this deeply personal episode, I take you behind the scenes of my winning audition for...
What if confidence is not the absence of doubt? In this deeply honest conversation, violinist Robert Sanders shares what changed internally as he navi...
You know that feeling when you walk off stage thinking, "I can play so much better than this"? In this episode, I unpack three powerful patterns I saw...
If you've ever stood in the wings before a performance and wondered how you got there — not in a good way — this episode is for you. Marie-Michel Be...
You know that feeling when you nail a passage in rehearsal, and then the harder you try to repeat it, the faster it falls apart? In this solo episode,...
You've prepared the excerpts. You've done the mock auditions. You've done everything right — and something still slips when it matters most. In this e...
You practiced it a thousand times. You knew it cold. And then you walked on stage and something vanished. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for...
What if the thing holding back your performance had nothing to do with how many hours you practice? Gunnery Sergeant Shannon Kiewitt, clarinetist with...
You're putting in the hours. You're showing up. So why does it still feel like nothing is moving? This episode gets right to the heart of that frustra...
If you've ever felt your body work against you in a performance, if tension, fear, or a loss of control has crept into your playing and you don't know...
You walk out of a rehearsal replaying every mistake. You sit down to practice and the voice in your head says, it should be better by now. You open In...
Concertmaster Juliana Athayde shares the mindset shifts and life choices that shaped her career, from betting on herself early on to leading an orches...
When your heart is racing and your brain starts whispering "don't mess this up," it's easy to think the goal is to shut the thoughts down. But that fi...
When the world feels heavy and your body is bracing, it is weirdly easy to start treating music like it has to justify itself. You practice anyway. Yo...
In this episode, we unpack how unrealistic expectations quietly overload your brain, tighten your body, and slow your progress. And more importantly,...
What if your path takes longer than you thought it would? What if you don't win the job straight out of school. Or even straight out of your twenties?...
