Today's guest, William Westney, is a concert pianist, professor at the University of Texas, and the author of The Perfect Wrong Note, a book about—as the subtitle says—rediscovering your musical self. He’s a perfect guest for episode number one, and of course, that’s no accident.
During the episode, we discuss his life’s work in education, as well as his deep exploration of practice and performance. At first glance, the concepts that William explores here are non-traditional, but as you will hear, they come from a tradition and musical wisdom that has been around for a long time.
What you will learn in this episode
- Numerous principles and simple distinctions that will help enhance your practice
- A deeper look at what is meant by the ‘mechanics’ of practice—or as William calls it—‘neuro-muscular work’
- How to turn technical difficulties into pleasurable experiences and unlock their potential
- The radical mindset shift that helps think about mistakes differently
- How important it is to distinguish between practice and performance
- Why we should think clearly and carefully about what our goals are in practice
- How William thinks about performance and what ‘the zone’ is for him
- How to turn nerves into valuable food for your performance
- How the appropriate balance of risk and enjoyment actually encourages your brain to learn better
Quotes
“[Mistakes] are not just about forgiving ourselves and saying ‘let me try that again’; it’s totally embracing the mistake and saying ‘what’s the information in that mistake?’”
“You have to make a thorough/physical commitment to every note.”
“How can everything I do feel great?”
Links & items mentioned in this episode
- William’s Website
- The Perfect Wrong Note
- Dalcroze Eurhythmics
- Music Garden
- Eloise Ristad – A Soprano on Her Head
- William’s research videos
- Daniel Coyle
