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The Learning Lab

A research-based practice & performance community,
where musicians of all levels are learning and growing together

We start with the best of intentions, but then...

Whether it’s a new practice strategy, the latest metronome app, or a breathing tip for managing stress and performance anxiety, we often make plans, set juicy goals, and start off really excited, inspired, and ready to incorporate it all into our daily practice.

But then life happens. Things get busy, the status quo pulls us in, and the new tweaks and adjustments that we genuinely do want to explore end up getting pushed to the back burner.

If you’ve noticed this in your own practice, performing, or teaching, you’re definitely not alone!

How to reduce friction?

For most of my life, practicing consistently (let alone effectively 😅) was always a struggle. But it was always a different story during the summers, when I was at a music camp or festival. There were new coaches and teachers to learn from. Different conductors to get new ideas and inspiration from. And a fun and inspiring group of new people to meet, play with, and practice next door to.

My Mom never understood why I wanted to surrounded myself with all of these “distractions,” when I had a perfectly quiet and distraction-free place to practice at home. But I think a community like this was exactly the sort of environment I needed, as it provided just enough of a nudge and accountability to help me follow-through more consistently.

Finding your community

We can’t be at summer festival all year round. But nowadays, it’s possible to experience and bring many of the benefits of community-based learning into your ~~fortress of solitude~~ practice room.

If you’d love to continue developing both the physical and mental skills associated with your instrument, within a supportive community that provides the knowledge, inspiration, and energy when you need it, the The Learning Lab might be what you’ve been looking for.

"Have you ever wished you could go back to school, but with what you know now? That’s kind of how I feel about the Learning Lab community. I get to be in an environment where I can continue to learn a lot through Noa’s work and teachings, the workshops offer a lot of different experts and teachers (on a lot of important topics), and it’s a wonderful community of learners.

If a friend was considering joining Learning Lab, I’d tell them not to hesitate!"

S.P. | Guitar
Educator & Performer

About The Learning Lab

Whether your goal is to play at a higher level, or perform more confidently, simply logging more time or repetitions will only take you so far. And as you’ve probably already discovered, time and repetition-based goals quickly make practicing feel like a chore too, draining all the joy and satisfaction out of the process.

Lucky for us, the last few decades of research in psychology, motor learning, and performance science have provided us with some really fascinating and useful insights into how we can become better practicers and performers. Much of which actually validates things that great musicians and teachers have been saying for ages – but now we know why these things work.

When used in the right way, these principles can lead to more noticeable day-to-day progress, make practice sessions more enjoyable, and help you feel a little more at ease (and even have…fun?!) on stage.

Everything we do in The Learning Lab revolves around these core learning and performance principles. And it can be broken down into these four elements:

Start with research-based advice

No more weeks and months of frustrating trial and error. Learn the latest research-based practice and performance techniques from expert musicians, educators, and researchers.

Experiment in the practice room

Integrate these new principles and techniques into your daily practice. Run simple, informal mini-experiments to see what works best for you.

Test your new skills

The illusion of mastery often deceives us into thinking that our skills are more stable than they actually are! So the next step is to test out your new skills in small, low-stakes "trial performances" for small (anywhere from 1-10+) supportive audiences of fellow learners.

Reflect, adjust, repeat

Practice performances quickly reveal what's working and what needs tweaking. Armed with these fresh insights and micro-epiphanies, you can make tiny adjustments and run some new mini-experiments in the practice room. All of which not only makes practicing more effective, but much more engaging and gratifying as well!

"Initially, I signed up just to help me practice better. Having taken up piano after a four decade hiatus, I didn’t have any intention of performing.

However, within a few months of taking Noa’s online courses I started to perform with a local group. And in less than one year’s time, I was giving a solo concert! Noa's way of teaching, his very easy-to-understand and research-filled online courses are fun. Learning about the psychology of practicing more effectively and performing better under pressure have made me a better pianist. I recommend Noa’s courses to all musicians I meet!"

G.U. | Piano
Adult Learner

What's inside The Learning Lab?

LIVE & ON-DEMAND TRAINING

All Bulletproof Musician courses

Learn essential and advanced practice skills, strategies for beating performance anxiety and getting into the zone, keys to building confidence and trusting yourself on stage, how to memorize music more effectively, and more, through self-paced and live cohort-based courses.

See the included courses

EXPERT ADVICE

Monthly guest workshops

On the first Wednesday of every month, there’s a live workshop on a new practice or performance-related skill, taught by expert musicians, researchers, and educators. For instance, we’ve had sessions on:

Rapid technique/habit correction
Efficient practice planning
Deliberate practice, specifically for audition preparation
Music “roadmapping” for enhanced memory
How to do score study from the perspective of a concert artist
Research-based metronome practice
Plus, classes on yoga, improvisation, breathwork, posture, practice planning, body mapping, moving more efficiently, and lots more!

LIVE SUPPORT

Monthly Q&A sessions

On the third Wednesday of each month, there’s a live “Office Hours” Q&A session, when I’ll be available to answer questions and help you apply what you’re learning. It’s an opportunity to get input, feedback, and hang out with your fellow Learning Lab members as well.

LEARNING ON THE GO

Private podcast feed

You’ll also have access to a private, members-only podcast feed with audio versions of the monthly workshops and Office Hours sessions.

So whether you like learning while you’re on the go, or you’re on a plane and don’t have wifi, it’s easy to stay in the loop!

LOW-KEY PERFORMANCE PRACTICE

Biweekly Performance Labs

Recording yourself is great – but there’s no way to simulate playing for an audience. Twice a month, we host low-key performance practice classes, where you have an opportunity to practice performing some new music or try out a new mental skill.

Members have used this to prepare for recitals and orchestra auditions, as well as lessons and master classes – or even just to test out memory security or practice getting more comfortable with playing for an audience.

It’s open to all levels and experience, whether you’re in your third year of playing an instrument or 30th.

ACCOUNTABILITY & FEEDBACK

Quarterly Minicamps

Every quarter, we pick a specific skill and spend a month working through it as a group, with weekly playing and recording homework. Kind of like the live Performance Psych Essentials course that’s also included in The Learning Lab, but a little more narrowly focused on specific micro-skills, with 1-2 bite-sized videos to watch, instead of live sessions to attend. Skills like attention control, centering, variable practice, and memory, for instance.

If you don’t have the time or bandwidth for live class sessions, these minicamps can provide some of the same nudges and group accountability, but in tinier doses.

LEARN AND EXCHANGE IDEAS

Quarterly Book Club

Though I read a lot of research articles every week, I hadn’t read a book in years. And it turns out I wasn’t the only one who needed a little accountability to maintain a reading habit, so we started a community book club.

Once a quarter, we read a book together, sharing our favorite takeaways and insights gleaned from week to week. So far we’ve read books on practicing, breathing, and the neuroscience of memory. It seems like a little thing, but reading together has actually been one of the more popular activities in The Learning Lab!

About the Community

It turns out that whoever said “If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together” was onto something. Because some recent studies do suggest that having an accountability buddy or accountability group can really help with realizing your goals. Especially when it comes to “stretch” goals that feel a long ways away. This, is one of the reasons why this community exists today.

The Learning Lab started out as a continuing education and support community for alumni of the live Psych Essentials class who enjoyed the group format and asked for a way to continue learning and engaging with one another, but at a more relaxed pace that fit into their regular weekly practice (and work) schedules.

The first group of members joined in early 2023, and it’s grown into an exceedingly warm and supportive community of curious and enthusiastic musicians, educators, and learners.

We kept the community private, and developed it slowly over time. But my hope was always to open Learning Lab up more broadly. And now that that time has come – I believe that it’s still important for all members to participate in the Psych Essentials class first.

Why is that?

An enhanced learning experience

For one, I’ve found that it really enhances the learning experience when everyone in the community comes in with a shared common understanding of the foundational practice and performance skills that are covered in the Psych Essentials class. It enables us to reference specific concepts in workshops without having to go through a full review. And it enables everyone to use a common vocabulary when we’re having discussions in Minicamps, Book Club, and elsewhere in the community.

Cultivating a supportive culture

Another reason is related to the community “vibe.” Given the key role of community in this program, I think (and the research also suggests) that it’s important for it to be a place that offers psychological safety and support.

To this point, participants in the Essentials classes have consistently been warm, supportive, thoughtful, and inquisitive, and not at all closed, snarky, competitive, or eager to criticize and start an argument. Well, zero snark may be inaccurate, but there has been just the perfect amount of snark.

So making sure to introduce everyone to this way of interacting with one another, through the Essentials live sessions and homework assignments seemed like the best way to build the right sort of culture in this community as well.

When can I join?

All this to say, the Learning Lab community is open for enrollment only four times per year – during registration week for each quarter’s Psych Essentials cohort. This makes it easy to experience the Essentials class, and seamlessly jump into the Learning Lab community when the class ends.

What are members saying about Learning Lab?

"Learning Lab has broadened my music experience, helped me become a more well-rounded musician, and the community has made learning so fun, creative, and inspiring!"

"I’ve learned a lot from connecting with the other musicians in the community, and have found the group to be very supportive, kind, and respectful. It’s all helped me improve in my ability to deal with performance nerves!"

"I’ve been learning a lot from the latest minicamp. It has reinvigorated my playing and practicing!"

"My favorite part of Learning Lab are the Performance Lab sessions, as it keeps me accountable to practice because I know that I will be performing in front of others. The community that Noa has developed is incredibly supportive and respectful - a joy to be part of!"

"I particularly enjoy the Office Hours. Noa offers great help and the community always brings great questions, answers, and a sense of support. The music world can be a harsh and brutal world sometimes - it’s really nice to have a safe space where you can share and progress!"

Ready to Join?

Eventually, I anticipate offering this program for $149 per quarter (i.e. ~$50 per month), but while it remains in “beta,” it will be available for $129 per quarter ($43 per month).

And, you’ll be able to keep this discounted rate forever, as long as you’d like to remain part of the program – even when the price goes up.

If you have any questions about whether Learning Lab is right for you, email me HERE.

$149

$ 129 Pay Quarterly (every 3 months)

Access to all Bulletproof Musician courses
Includes Performance Psych Essentials
Guest workshops
Office Hours w/Noa
Private podcast feed of event recordings
Biweekly PerformanceLab classes
Quarterly Minicamps
Quarterly Book Club

beta

$149

$ 129 Pay Quarterly (every 3 months)

Access to all Bulletproof Musician courses
Includes Performance Psych Essentials
Guest workshops
Office Hours w/Noa
Private podcast feed of event recordings
Biweekly PerformanceLab classes
Quarterly Minicamps
Quarterly Book Club

beta

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I have access to the materials forever?

You’ll have access to the courses for as long as you are an actively subscribed member of the community. If you end your Learning Lab membership, you will no longer have access to the courses, guest workshop and Office Hours recordings, private podcast feed, and other resources.

Is there a discount if I already own some of the courses?

There are no discounts for Learning Lab if you already own some or all of the included courses. However, you will continue to own any of the courses that you’ve already purchased forever, whether you join the Learning Lab community or not.

How much of a time commitment should I expect?

To use a food analogy, Learning Lab is not like an 8-course meal where you have to set aside a fair bit of time for the experience, and you’re expected to eat every single dish that’s put in front of you.

Learning Lab is more like a specialty grocery store. So you don’t have to buy or eat everything on every visit. Instead, the idea is to pick and choose the ingredients that are most relevant and useful to you for the current moment in time.

So you certainly could spend a certain number of hours every week working through the course materials, engaging in the community activities and more. But for most, the community is a resource to tap into. For inspiration, for motivation, for feedback, for help getting through stuck points, and ultimately, to provide you with the tools and support necessary to have as much fun as is possible on your music journey.

Is there a minimum age to join?

It’s tricky to set a minimum age, as I’ve had students as young as 12 in my pre-college classes, and many have been some of the most engaged, curious, enthusiastic, and independent learners I’ve encountered.

So while I’m inclined to recommend that participants be age 18 or above, if you have a younger child or student that would like to join the community, just email me, and we can chat about whether this would be a good fit for them at this time.