Author: Inna Langerman

What We Get Wrong about Affirmations and Why to Try EFT Instead

Posted on by Inna Langerman
EFT hand image

Affirmations – positive statements about ourselves in first person and in the present tense. But do they really help cope with performance anxiety and resolve negative feelings leading up to a performance?

Have you ever felt like a fool sitting there repeating phrases to yourself like “I am a great musician. I sound amazing. I am very confident about this.”? All in the midst of being a nervous wreck just before getting up on stage or taking an audition. Ever feel like you were forcing this message to your subconscious self and try to trick yourself out of feeling inadequate, intimidated, or like an impostor?

This is a pretty common scenario. Unfortunately, affirmations don’t always work, even with all best intentions. If we feel like we are lying to ourselves with these statements, affirmations may cause us more harm than good.

There is a better way.

Continue reading “What We Get Wrong about Affirmations and Why to Try EFT Instead” →

Feeling the Audience Energy

Posted on by Inna Langerman
third street music school concert hall

I rarely play recitals. Most of my concerts are symphonic, and occasionally, a third-party event with a chamber ensemble. But this past Friday the 13th I co-hosted one of the concerts as part of the faculty recital series at the school I teach 3 days a week: Third Street Music School Settlement in the East Village of NYC. My colleagues and I had a great time presenting character pieces of Spain and France of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Some of my young students came and even brought some friends (and their parents) from outside of the school!

Here is the link to the REPLAY in case you’re interested: …Be sure to open in a browser (the Vimeo app is glitchy); Starts about 16 minutes in.
Continue reading “Feeling the Audience Energy” →

New Year’s Resolutions: “Less But Better” & Sleep For Success

Posted on by Inna Langerman
less but better, quote by dieter rams

Going into the new year, one of my resolutions this year is to be stricter with myself about the “less but better” principle when it comes to striving for the bigger goals (whether it be in the practice room, the studio, or the gym). Ever since the pandemic started, my social media and email inbox has been bombarded with a crazy amount of (very valuable) information. It caused my attention to divert in too many different directions. I would rotate a few too many hats in a single day, convincing myself that I could somehow “do it all” – of course the reality is that everything comes at a cost.

 

Continue reading “New Year’s Resolutions: “Less But Better” & Sleep For Success” →

Unfolding Tension in the Bow Arm & Hand

Posted on by Inna Langerman
bow hand

I’ve been thinking long and hard about where to begin the discussion on best practices to minimize unnecessary tension in the bow arm. The complexities of bow technique development for good tone production, various articulations, dynamics, and expression can easily lead one to develop bad habits somewhere along the way.

 

The most common problems with bow arm tension in players of ALL levels are: Continue reading “Unfolding Tension in the Bow Arm & Hand” →

Three Great Things: The Power of Gratitude

Posted on by Inna Langerman
gratitude changes everything

If you’re anything like me, the busyness and excitement of holidays (combined with shorter/colder days in the northern hemisphere) can lead to feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. One effective way to manage (besides sitting with the feelings and accepting them for what they are in the moment) is by practicing gratitude.

Try an exercise with me, called Three Great Things: Continue reading “Three Great Things: The Power of Gratitude” →

Musicality and Physical Freedom

Posted on by Inna Langerman

We can develop musicality through the study of music theory, harmonic analysis, history, and ear training. These are studies that help us understand music better on an intellectual and aural level. On the other hand, we can also experience emotions that we wish to express through music, and/or we feel something while listening to a piece. We might know exactly how we wish to phrase something and have a vision for the bigger scope of a piece. However, all that musicality can be blocked by our physical body when we pick up our instrument.

Continue reading “Musicality and Physical Freedom” →

Learning & Improving Skills as an Adult

Posted on by Inna Langerman
mountain climbing team

Have you ever been told (or know someone who was told) “It’s too late to learn an instrument at this point in your life” or “You’ve aged out of all music festivals and haven’t landed a big job – it’s too late to progress”? This is part of an old, false belief that’s still making its rounds around the globe. It’s part of a fixed mindset epidemic that’s easier to fall into as we go through life.

Continue reading “Learning & Improving Skills as an Adult” →

How To Get a Good Sound at the Tip with Less Effort and More Consistency

Posted on by Inna Langerman
forearm rotation vs index finger pressure

An alternative approach to bow “pressure” involves the entire forearm and using the natural arm weight. Develop beautiful, even sound with more consistency and less effort with these exercises.

Continue reading “How To Get a Good Sound at the Tip with Less Effort and More Consistency” →

3 Practices to Achieve True Confidence on Stage

Posted on by Inna Langerman
superhero kid

Like most classical musicians, I occasionally have some very unwelcome guests in my mind – feelings of doubt, uncertainty, or insecurity. Having some of these feelings are quite normal and in fact, there is a way they can help us grow. However, they become a serious problem if we try to either force them out by faking confidence or dwell on them too long. The longer the negative feelings and thoughts stay, the more they push confidence and reassurance out, leaving us potentially feeling helpless.

 

This post won’t be about centering or visualization – both essential skills for improving our best performance under pressure. This is a deeper dive that explores what strengthens the roots of true confidence. I’ll briefly summarize 3 concepts as explained by bestselling author, athlete, and coach Steve Magness in his brand new book Do Hard Things. Continue reading “3 Practices to Achieve True Confidence on Stage” →

Recovery Exercises for Violinists & Violists

Posted on by Inna Langerman
6 recovery exercises

Statistics show that around 85% of violinists & violists will develop a playing-related injury at some point in their performing lives. That is an insane number. Unlike sports in which athletes retire around the age of 40 on average, musicians play pretty much their whole lives… or at least, most of us plan to… right? How terrible it would be for our performance timeline to be cut short by an injury that could’ve either been prevented or kept under control.

 

This week, I’m sharing with you a few of my favorite recovery exercises for violinists & violists, with focus primarily on the areas that get overused and hurt most often, which are the upper back and neck on the left side. Continue reading “Recovery Exercises for Violinists & Violists” →