"Previous to doing the course, I was usually able to perform well, but auditions were a nightmare and almost never felt like they were representative of my playing. For some time I’d been trying to figure out the elements that allowed my performances to be successful, yet auditions less so.

Initially, I had some reservations about the cost of the course. However, once I realised the price was much the same as a small number of lessons with a well-established teacher, the value became obvious. This was even more apparent once I considered the amount of material being offered, and that many teachers teach primarily from their own experience of performing, and usually not in-depth research.

As much as I think musicians (including myself) like to think we’re always trying to improve, being introduced to a course like this does highlight how much most of us don’t know about performance psychology, which is clearly not a comfortable feeling. I’d spent quite a bit of time researching and investigating ways of approaching performance to increase my odds of success, and part of my initial reaction to finding this course was therefore: ‘I probably already know most of this’. While I already had an understanding of some of the topics covered, this was largely only because I’d already investigated approaches well outside of anything I’d learnt through studying music performance at university. However, some of the most important lessons from this course were things I’d never heard of, nor considered before.

I am confident that this course would have something to offer anyone wanting to improve their standard of performance, even (and maybe especially) for those already performing at a high level. Additionally, I have found many of the concepts that this course presents to be invaluable for my teaching.

I have experienced several significant changes from doing the course, but perhaps the most important change is that my ‘minimum’ standard in performance has improved significantly. I feel I can pick up the cello in pretty much any situation and almost always perform in a way that is representative of my best playing.

I would absolutely recommend this course. Musicians spend a huge amount of time learning the craft of their instruments and repertoire, but often don’t have strategies beyond ‘performing a lot’ to cope with the demands of performance. At any level, it makes sense for us to understand ourselves as much as possible to be able to communicate our vision of the music in performance."