Every music student knows that voice: you're not good enough, you made a mistake, don't risk it. Many music teachers hear it too. We've almost come to accept the inner critic as inevitable — a permanent tax on the joy of making music.
But Applied Music Psychology has news: it isn't inevitable at all.
Research has revealed exactly where the inner critic originates, what triggers it, and — most importantly — what causes it to go quiet. The same neural mechanisms that produce self-doubt are also capable of producing flow, confidence, and deep musical presence.
In this session, we will explore the neuroscience of self-critical thought, examine why it is so persistent, and leave with a concrete set of strategies for building self-compassion and creative confidence — in yourself, and in every student you teach.
Target Audience
Any teacher who has students dealing with self-doubt; music psychology is generally applicable
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Allison Wilkinson
I Am Music Foundation
Allison Wilkinson is the author of Making Musicians and the Executive Director of the I Am Music Foundation. Each year, she teaches the tools of Applied Music Psychology through the I Am Academy to music educators from around the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. A veteran teacher with more than 15,000 hours of direct teaching and many more in research, Allison is also the mother of four children and the favorite aunt of 22 more.