The Mind Over Finger Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

What happens when the audition is closer than you expected and the preparation feels impossible?

In this episode, I'm talking about how to handle high pressure performance situations when time is short, nerves are high, and your brain keeps telling you it's not enough. We dive into mindset, performance psychology, nervous system regulation, and the surprising ways urgency can actually work in your favor.

In this episode:

• Why resisting the situation drains the energy you need to perform

• How to stop spiraling and start preparing effectively

• What short timelines can teach you about trust, resilience, and performance under pressure

Are you ready to take your playing and career to the next level and create a life that feels purposeful and joyful? Let's connect and explore how personalized coaching can support your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation, and let's start turning your goals into reality.

Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE

Download the transcript from this episode HERE

Mind Over Finger

Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me.

Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance.

Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources.

Connect:

https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger

https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger

https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

What does it actually take to win a major orchestra audition?

In this deeply personal episode, I take you behind the scenes of my winning audition for the Lyric Opera Orchestra at 47 years old. I'm sharing the real preparation process, the mental work, the conditioning, and the mindset shifts that carried me through 90 days of intense preparation and into the audition room.

In this episode:

• How I prepared mentally, physically, and musically while working full time and raising a family

• Why trust under pressure matters more than "feeling confident"

• The surprising gap between how a performance feels and how it actually sounds

If you're ready to step on stage with confidence, perform at your best, and win that next audition, join me inside The Music Mastery Experience.

Let's connect and explore how personalized coaching can support your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation, and let's start turning your goals into reality.

Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE

Download the transcript from this episode HERE

Mind Over Finger

Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me.

Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance.

Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources.

Connect:

https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger

https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger

https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

If you've ever felt your body work against you in a performance, if tension, fear, or a loss of control has crept into your playing and you don't know why, and if you've wondered whether it can actually get better, this episode is for you. Gabriel Radford, Third Horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, was diagnosed with focal dystonia at the height of his career. He came back playing better than before, and co-founded the Embouchure Project to help other musicians do the same. This conversation is honest, practical, and full of things musicians rarely hear spoken out loud.

What you'll take away:

·         Why fear can show up long before a playing problem becomes visible, and what that early signal means

·         What neuroscience tells us about why the body stops cooperating, and how to reverse it

·         Why rigid practice routines may be working against you

·         The one daily habit that can rewire your relationship with your instrument

·         What the Embouchure Project is

·         And much more!

If you're ready to step on stage with confidence, perform at your best, and finally feel secure in your playing, let's talk! Book a free discovery call and let's create a plan to get you there.

Are you ready to take your playing and career to the next level and create a life that feels purposeful and joyful? Let's connect and explore how personalized coaching can support your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation, and let's start turning your goals into reality.

Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE

Book your free consultation with Renée HERE

Download the transcript from this episode HERE

GABRIEL RADFORD AND THE EMBOUCHURE PROJECT

Bio: https://www.tso.ca/about/orchestra/members-of-the-orchestra/gabriel-radford

Website: https://www.theembouchureproject.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theembouchureproject/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881319796540674/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEmbouchureProject

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jOd5wjakuvJmZuiaGoKqP

Mind Over Finger

Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me.

Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance.

Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources.

Connect:

https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger

https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger

https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

In this episode, I cover ways to incorporate more joy, presence, variety, and creativity in your practice.

Infusing joy and purpose in your preparation journey – having it alongside you day after day – will have a profound impact on both how well you prepare and how confident you feel on stage.

Joyful Practice Resources:

- Handout for this episode: Download Here

·         - Episode 72 – Joyful Practice – Joyful Practice Challenge 2020

o    Handout: Download Here

·         - Joyful Practice Challenge 2021 – Live video replays in the Mind Over Finger Facebook Community

·        -  Episode 128 - More Joyful Practice: – Joyful Practice Challenge 2022

o    Handout: Download Here

Sign up for my brand-new workshop – THE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SOLUTION!

Find all the info at www.performanceanxietysolution.com  

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Join my mailing list HERE and become a Mind Over Finger VIP member!

As a VIP member, you will you receive my free guide to a highly productive practice, a transcript of each new podcast episode delivered to your inbox every week, and all the insider information about my coaching programs, including VIP prices on most of them.  March bonus: get 10$ off the Performance Anxiety Solution when you join the mailing list HERE!

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Mind Over Finger

Visit mindoverfinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• Www.mindoverfinger.com
• Https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• Https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• Https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!

Your guide to Mock Performances – what to do before, during and after!

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Join my mailing list HERE and become a Mind Over Finger VIP member!

As a VIP member, you will you receive my free guide to a highly productive practice, a transcript of each new podcast episode delivered to your inbox every week, and all the insider information about my coaching programs, including VIP prices on most of them.  March bonus: get 10$ off the Performance Anxiety Solution when you join the mailing list HERE!

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Don't wait and sign up for my brand-new workshop – THE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SOLUTION!

Find all the info at www.performanceanxietysolution.com  

Mind Over Finger

Visit mindoverfinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• Www.mindoverfinger.com
• Https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• Https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• Https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!

Always hated recording yourself?  There's no reason you should miss out on this EXTRAORDINARY way to increase your results in the practice room.  In this episode, I have removed all the excuses NOT to record yourself by offering you a simple and powerful approach to start enjoying the process.

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Join my mailing list HERE and become a Mind Over Finger VIP member!

As a VIP member, you will you receive my free guide to a highly productive practice, a transcript of each new podcast episode delivered to your inbox every week, and all the insider information about my coaching programs, including VIP prices on most of them.  March bonus: get 10$ off the Performance Anxiety Solution when you join the mailing list HERE! 

Don't wait and sign up for my brand new workshop – THE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SOLUTION!

Find all the info at www.performanceanxietysolution.com  

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Mind Over Finger

Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• www.mindoverfinger.com
• https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!

What is your current strategy to deeply, fully master a scary passage performance?  Is it simply to practice it more? In this episode, I present you a better option that will allow you to not only learn it better but also learn it faster and facilitate flow in your performance!

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Join my mailing list HERE and become a Mind Over Finger VIP member!

As a VIP member, you will you receive my free guide to a highly productive practice, a transcript of each new podcast episode delivered to your inbox every week, and all the insider information about my coaching programs, including VIP prices on most of them.  March bonus: get 10$ off the Performance Anxiety Solution when you join the mailing list HERE!

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Don't wait and sign up for my brand new workshop – THE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SOLUTION!

Find all the info at www.performanceanxietysolution.com  

Mind Over Finger

Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• www.mindoverfinger.com
• https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!

You will love this conversation with Robyn Bollinger, Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony

She shares incredible tools, strategies and tips, including:

• Her audition preparation process
• How she handles her role as concertmaster
• How she keeps track of her practicing
• Her favorite tool in the practice room

And so much more!

Where to find Robyn:

• Website: https://www.robynbollingerviolin.com/
• YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oMF1E1OWyEf_UcBh2qWlA
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynBollinger
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynkbviolin/

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Don't wait and sign up for my brand new workshop – THE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY SOLUTION!

Find all the info at www.performanceanxietysolution.com   

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Mind Over Finger

Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• www.mindoverfinger.com
• https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

In this episode, we continue where we left off in episode 158, discussing the teacher/student relationship, and we turn our attention to the second partner in the musical team: the student and how they can get the most out of their lesson and learning experience. 

Reflection - Here are questions to increase your awareness of the topics I cover in the episode:

• ·         What else can I try?
• ·         How does this concept work for me?
• ·         How can I make this work for me?
• ·         How can I solve this?
• ·         If I knew how to improve this, what would the solution look like?

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Join me for FREE on February 17th for the Deep Practice Model Teacher Training Workshop when you join Practicing for Peak Performance!

Practicing for Peak Performance: Your Step-by-step Roadmap to Optimal Performance!

Get you self-paced program HERE and transform how you perform TODAY!

Mind Over Finger

Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• www.mindoverfinger.com
• https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!

In this episode I talk about the very important role of teacher and the ways we can efficiently guide and support our students on their chosen path.

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE

Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!

Join me for FREE on February 17th for the Deep Practice Model Teacher Training Workshop when you join Practicing for Peak Performance!  (Replays will be available)

Practicing for Peak Performance: Your Step-by-step Roadmap to Optimal Performance!

Get you self-paced program HERE and transform how you perform TODAY!

Mind Over Finger

Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox.

Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians.

• www.mindoverfinger.com
• https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger
• https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

THANK YOU:

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who makes this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you!