Registration closes on Sunday, October 26th at 11:59pm
Oh crap...what comes next?!
(And how to make sure you never have that feeling again)
We’ve all had that heart-stopping moment on stage when the mind blanks and we can’t remember what notes come next…
Is it nerves? Not enough runthroughs? Do we just need to perform more?
Well…not exactly.
Reliable, pressure-proof memory doesn’t come from grinding out more repetitions. It comes from training the mind as intentionally as we do the fingers, and engaging multiple memory systems in ways most of us never learned. At the risk of sounding a little over-the-top, once you understand how memory actually works, you might never practice quite the same way again.
The Problem: Why Memory Slips Happen
Hi – my name is Noa Kageyama. I’m a performance psychologist on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music where I specialize in teaching musicians how to use principles from performance psychology to perform optimally under pressure.
But for the first 20-odd years of my life, I was a violinist. And I experienced my fair share of embarrassing public memory slips at the worst possible times.
After all, I had no idea that memorization was a skill you could learn. Even as a grad student at Juilliard, my approach to memorizing music was basically just to repeat everything a bunch of times. And sure, I’d eventually get to the point where I could play things through without the music at home or in lessons.
But on stage, something would change, and I’d blank out, or hesitate and start questioning myself, or second-guess things that I never worried about before.
Maybe this sounds familiar?
Why the "Play It Until It Sticks" Method Fails
Because memory for music often forms very naturally during the course of learning music, many of us end up being way more reliant on muscle memory than we realize. And don’t get me wrong – muscle memory (aka procedural memory if you want to be technical about it) is absolutely essential. It even works pretty darn great much of the time. The problem is that it’s just notoriously unreliable under pressure.
So it’s no wonder we feel slightly uneasy going into performances when repetition has been our primary memory strategy! And when we experience memory slips or near-misses on stage, it’s natural to start wondering if perhaps we just don’t have what it takes to play from memory. Which can be a really discouraging thought to have…
What's the alternative?
Musicians who perform confidently from memory rely not just on muscle memory, but consciously accessible mental cues that are intentionally embedded into the music during learning. And it’s this organic combination of implicit and explicit memory that makes it possible to navigate through the piece – or recover quickly – even when muscle memory gets disrupted.
The tl;dr version is that memorizing music is a much more tangible and concrete process than you might think. In much the same way that deliberate practice is a more engaging and thoughtful process than just doing a bunch of repetitions, deliberate memorization is an infinitely more interesting and creative process than simply accumulating repetitions too!
Introducing...
Bulletproof Memory
The Science (and Art) of Memorizing Music
At its essence, the process of memorizing music occurs in three key stages, with different tasks and goals at each step:
The process of getting the music into your brain - in meaningful and memorable ways.
The process of organizing and stabilizing the music into long-term memory.
Learning how to get the music out of long-term memory quickly and reliably under pressure!
In much the same way that we have a tendency to practice mindlessly, it’s easy to fall into the habit of memorizing mindlessly too. But effective memorizers actually do a lot more elaboration in the encoding phase, creating various “performance cues” that serve as musical landmarks, resulting in a musical “map” of sorts. Which not only facilitates more secure memory, and confident and expressive performances, but makes practicing more fun too.
When it comes to consolidation, learning how to structure our practice time for more effective long-term retention is a big help for those with limited time.
And often, we get so immersed in the encoding phase, that we forget we need to practice remembering too! As backwards as this probably sounds, many studies suggest that our memory could be much more robust if we did less studying and more testing. Which for musicians, means testing ourselves in multiple different sensory domains – auditory, kinesthetic, visual, and conceptual. The idea being, to make sure we have multiple failsafes to fall back on when needed. And if you had an emotional response to the word “testing,” don’t worry – this is funner and not nearly as stressful as it sounds!
"I have been focussing a lot on contemporary music in the recent years, and I have never seen anyone be asked to play this kind of music from memory. But with this course, I thought, why not?
I started with something very short, but the strategies are working and it feels very liberating to experience how much more I can focus on expressivity, on staying in the moment, and on communicating through sound when I don't need the score in front of me, even with relatively complex music. I am quite impressed by how my mental picture of the pieces that I'm playing is so much clearer now than it used to be.
All the exercises we did during the encoding phase (experimenting with ways of analyzing music, discussing expressive aspects of the music alongside the structures) are definitely needed to memorize, but they also helped to understand the music much better, develop the knowledge and skills to be able to create a meaningful picture of it, and ultimately, a performance worth listening to. The exercises done during the consolidation and retrieval phases (such as using flashcards) helped me to accelerate a lot the learning process of excerpts of music which were very raw at the beginning, and which now I am impressed at how fast it got to where it is when I listen back to my own recordings.
My main takeaway from this course is that all the processes about memorizing and the tools provided are at the end about knowing the music better, performing more convincingly, and ultimately, about becoming a more cultivated musician. Thank you so much!"
A.G. | Cello
What You'll Learn
Over the past few decades, researchers have studied musicians at all levels to find out what separates effective and fast memorizers from less reliable memorizers.
And their findings suggest that there are a set of key principles around effective memorization. So while I love a quick tip or hack as much as the next person, this course is less about random tactics and memory hacks and more about setting up a memorization system or framework that you can use, no matter your experience level, that will help you build durable memory that holds up under pressure. You’ll learn how to:
Discover how to encode music in multiple ways, so your memory isn’t riding on muscle memory alone.
Learn how to test your memory deliberately (and painlessly), so you can strengthen retrieval pathways long before performance day.
Through tiny “stress tests,” you’ll learn to recall your music in different environmental contexts and physiological states - exactly the conditions that tend to trip us up.
Learn attention control strategies and create a mental script of cues that will keep your mind focused on the music, instead of on the bazillions of "what if's" your mind likes to conjure up. That way, even if there is a little blip, you’ll be able to get right back into the flow of things right away.
"Memory was not a challenge at 16, but starting to play again in my 60s was very challenging. As a pianist, my biggest ah-ha was that finger memory (muscle memory) is the least reliable form of memorization and it was the primary and sometimes only method I used. My memory slips were a testament to its reliability!
This course gave me the tools to memorize rep in layers using a variety of forms. The rep that I memorized before taking this course is noticeably less secure than the latest pieces, even though I have been playing them longer. I plan to go back and use some of the tools to shore up my memory. I was a little concerned about taking the course because I am an amateur and wasn’t sure that I could keep up with the professionals. But I learned that playing from memory, especially under pressure, is a challenge for everyone! I would take this class again and again as I always learn something new and continue to hone my skills. Thank you, Noa!"
P.V. | Piano
What's Inside Bulletproof Memory
There are five modules in the course, with short concise videos (28 in total, averaging between 5-6 minutes each) and written transcripts to illustrate each concept. And it’s totally self-paced, so there’s no rush to go through the lessons, and no live sessions to schedule around.
In addition, there are 10 memory challenges to help you put what you learn into action – plus discussion forums where you will be able to post your work and gain insights and creative inspiration from how others have implemented the memory strategies in their own way.
You’ll also have lifetime access to the materials, so you’ll be able to take your time, and refer back to the materials years down the road, anytime you’d like.
Here’s what’s in the course:
MODULE 1: ENCODING
How to Build a Stronger Memory From Day 1
Understand what memory really is, and why the “play it until it sticks” method leads to false confidence. You’ll learn the science behind how music is encoded, stored, and retrieved, and start developing habits that build a stronger foundation from the start.
MODULE 2: ENCODING
How Memories Are Actually Stored and Retrieved
Learn how to create meaningful retrieval cues – the specific thoughts, images, and musical ideas that anchor each section of your piece. You’ll practice turning vague mental associations into solid landmarks that keep you oriented on stage.
MODULE 3: CONSOLIDATION
How to Make Memory Stick
Learn how to structure your practice and take advantage of the combined effects of spacing, memory consolidation, and retesting for greater long-term retention.
MODULE 4: RETRIEVAL
How to Practice Remembering
We’ll look at six keys to retrieval success, two often-overlooked factors that disrupt memory (and we rarely prepare for), and begin working on preparing your memory for retrieval under pressure.
MODULE 5: RETRIEVAL
How to Remember Under Pressure
Learn the two causes of “choking” under pressure, why different kinds of pressure can cause us to choke in different ways, and how to tie everything together as you combine focus, memory, and expressive intent for more confidence and trust on stage.
MEMORY CHALLENGES
How to Put It All Into Practice
Theory is great, but change only happens through action. And that’s why each module includes various memory challenges – short, practical experiments that will walk you through how to integrate what you learn into your daily practice. For instance, you’ll:
Build a memory roadmap with musical, visual, and analytical landmarks.
Test recall with flashcards and mental walkthroughs.
Strengthen consolidation by using sleep, spacing, and short daily reviews.
Create more robust memory retrieval pathways by practicing in different a wider range of contexts and physiological states.
Develop your performance focus with attention-control exercises that keep your mind in the music when it matters most.
All of which will help you develop a personalized toolkit for making your memory and performances more “bulletproof.”
"Memory was not a challenge at 16, but starting to play again in my 60s was very challenging. As a pianist, my biggest ah-ha was that finger memory (muscle memory) is the least reliable form of memorization and it was the primary and sometimes only method I used. My memory slips were a testament to its reliability!
This course gave me the tools to memorize rep in layers using a variety of forms. The rep that I memorized before taking this course is noticeably less secure than the latest pieces, even though I have been playing them longer. I plan to go back and use some of the tools to shore up my memory.
I was a little concerned about taking the course because I am an amateur and wasn’t sure that I could keep up with the professionals. But I learned that playing from memory, especially under pressure, is a challenge for everyone! I would take this class again and again as I always learn something new and continue to hone my skills. Thank you, Noa!"
N.L. | Piano
Who This Course Is For
The literature on memorization for musicians is pretty awesome, in that researchers have looked at musicians and learners across an unusually broad range of levels and abilities.
So we not only know what strategies concert artists utilize, but we also know that they are pretty universally applicable to musicians and learners at any level too. So if playing from memory has been too anxiety-inducing to try, or you’ve had negative experiences performing in the past and don’t trust yourself, or are tired of the repetition-based approach and would like a more structured system (either for yourself or to teach to your students), I think you’ll enjoy this course.
Because at the end of the day, there’s actually a lot more to memorizing than memorizing. It’s about learning how to get the notes into your mind as well as your fingers, structuring your practice to maximize learning and retrieval, and quieting the mind and focusing on the right things on stage, so you can play more confidently and be more engaged in the music, while less anxious, worried, and stressed.
The 30-Day Bulletproof Guarantee
Sometimes, it can be difficult to take a chance on ourselves, and hope that things could be different. But I want you to feel completely comfortable giving this a try.
So if you go through the lessons and exercises and don’t feel like your approach to memorization has become clearer, easier, or more reliable – just send me an email within 30 days, and I’ll give you a full refund.
No forms to fill out, hoops to jump through, etc. Easy peasy.
What other alumni are saying...
Get Started
The course will eventually be priced at $149, but is available for $99 (i.e. save $50) during the initial limited public release from October 19 – 26.
Bulletproof Memory
Perform more confidently with memory you can trust-
5 Modules w/videos and transcripts
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28 Video Lessons
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10 Memory Challenges
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Homework Forums
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Lifetime Access
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – you’ll have access to the course, and any modifications or updates for the foreseeable future. Which is not literally forever, of course, but hopefully close enough. 😁
The course is self-paced, so you can put as much or as little time as you’d like into the process of memorizing. And as you’ll learn in the course, memorizing music works best if it’s something you do throughout the learning process, from Day 1. Where it’s integrated into your daily practice and the way you problem-solve and make decisions about the music. Much like how playing expressively is not something you work on after learning the notes, but something you do throughout the note-learning process as well.
So in that sense, it may be more helpful to think of this as being a way to make your practice more engaging, with the happy natural side effect being a more secure and reliable memory (and more expressive playing too).
The initial public release of this course is being made available for a limited time only, because I want to ensure that I have the bandwidth to engage with the comments and questions that often come up in the interactive homework group forums.
I also anticipate that these questions and comments will spark additional ideas for ways to hone and refine the course further, before a “final” public release, which I anticipate happening sometime during summer or fall of 2026.
It’s tricky to set a minimum age, as it often depends on the learner.
But the short answer is that many of the strategies can indeed be utilized by younger or less-experienced students of any age. And I actually share a couple examples of strategies I utilized when I was as young as 4 or 5 years old.
No problem. Just email me, and I’ll do my best to answer them!