Performance Mindset

What an incredible few days at the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA)PAMA Symposium!

I feel truly grateful to have been part of this inspiring event once again.

Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to learn from outstanding researchers, clinicians, educators, and performing artists from around the world. Every presentation brought new perspectives, practical ideas, and the latest research that will stay with me long after the symposium has ended.

Thank you to all the speakers for generously sharing your knowledge, experience, and passion. Unfortunately, it was impossible to attend every session live, but I am already looking forward to watching the recordings of the presentations I missed. The quality of the programme was simply outstanding.

The knowledge I gain during the PAMA Symposium supports my work throughout the entire year. I truly value the opportunity to learn about the newest research in performing arts medicine, musicians' health, mental health, injury prevention, performance psychology, and education.

One of the things I appreciate most is being able to translate this research into practice. I am excited to incorporate many of the latest findings into my own teaching programmes, my **Performance Mindset Academy**, and the educational workshops I deliver for young musicians, helping them perform with greater confidence while protecting both their physical and mental well-being.

Thank you to everyone who made this symposium possible—to the organisers, presenters, volunteers, and participants—for creating such an inspiring community dedicated to improving the health and well-being of performing artists.

I am leaving with new knowledge, new ideas, new connections, and even more motivation to continue supporting musicians through evidence-based education.

See you next year, PAMA! 💙

🎉 A new programme is joining Performance Mindset Academy!

📍🇵🇱 Please note: this program is conducted entirely in Polish

I'm delighted to introduce Matura bez Barier"("Music Graduation Exam Without Barriers")—a year-long programme created for students in their final year of Polish music schools as they prepare for their graduation performance exams and university entrance auditions.

Over the years, I have worked with many talented young musicians who were exceptionally well prepared technically.

Yet, when the day of the exam arrived, stress often prevented them from performing at the level they were truly capable of.

Not because they hadn't practised enough.

But because no one had ever taught them **how to prepare mentally for one of the most important performances of their musical education.**

Throughout this programme, students learn how to:

🎻 prepare mentally for high-stakes performances,

🧠 stay focused under pressure,

💙 build genuine confidence,

🎯 recover quickly after mistakes,

📖 plan their preparation effectively,

🎼 and perform at their true level when it matters most.

Although this programme has been designed specifically for the Polish music education system, its mission is universal:

Helping young musicians step onto the stage with confidence, clarity, and a sense of control.

I truly hope it will help many students experience this important year with greater confidence—and even more joy in making music. ❤️

The first day Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Symposium 2026 was full of new knowledge, and I would like to thank everyone for all the presentations.

Special thanks and appreciation for the interesting presentations by **Robin Mailly**, who talked about the piano with smaller keys, and for the violinist **Sophia Nikitin**.

Huge congratulations to **Jane Liu, the pianist**, for her extremely interesting work, which was awarded by PAMA.

Thank you, **Mr. Hymel**, for sharing your knowledge and experience from Disney.

A big thank you to **Julia Tom, the cellist from the Concertgebouw**, who changed her career path to help other musicians.

Thanks to **Tina Nilsen**, my colleague from Norway, who presented research from her **TIMANI program**, and to **Jeremy Stanek** for talking about **brass musicians and woodwind players**.

And thank you to everyone else — there were many presentations I missed, and I hope I will be able to watch them as replays in the future. :)

🌍 One of my favourite weeks of the year starts today.

Today marks the beginning of the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Annual Symposium Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) —a unique gathering of researchers, physicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, educators and musicians from around the world, all working toward one shared goal:

Helping performing artists stay healthy, resilient and perform at their best.

Every year, this symposium gives me an incredible opportunity to learn from colleagues across Australia, North America, Asia and Europe, discover the latest research, exchange ideas, and gain practical insights that I can bring into my own work.

I can't wait to spend the next few days learning, asking questions, and being inspired.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to bringing this new knowledge back to my students, clients, fellow musicians, and readers of my blog and The Strad articles.

Because the best part of learning is sharing it.

Let the symposium begin! 🎻🧠

🎉 Part 2 is now live!

I'm delighted to share that the second part of my latest article has just been published by The Strad

Thank you so much for all the kind messages, comments, shares, and support after the publication of Part 1. I'm truly grateful to see that this topic has resonated with so many musicians around the world.

In this second part, I continue exploring how we can prepare for high-level performances in a way that supports not only our results, but also our long-term wellbeing and artistic development.

If you enjoyed the first article, I hope you'll enjoy reading the continuation.

📖 Part 2 is available here:

I would love to hear your thoughts after you've read it.

Thank you once again to The Strad for publishing this series.

In the second of a two-part series, cellist and researcher Joanna Latała illustrates the value of recovery for musicians, as well as what they can learn beyond the practice room. Link in the comments

🎉 I'm delighted to share that my latest article has been published today in The Strad.

This article explores a topic that is often overlooked in music training: recovery.

In music, we frequently hear that progress requires more practice, more repetition, and more work. Yet recovery is not the opposite of progress—it is an essential part of it.

Our ability to learn, focus, adapt, and perform at our true level depends not only on how we practice, but also on how we recover.

I'm very grateful to The Strad for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation and to continue bringing ideas from performance psychology into the world of music.

I hope the article will be valuable for musicians, teachers, students, and parents alike.

📖 You can read it here:

Wishing everyone a healthy, restorative, and inspiring summer. 🎻

'Athletes expect to feel tired after competing. Musicians often expect themselves to feel ready to practise again the very next morning'

Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała debunks the myth that is ingrained in many performing musicians: that time away from one's instrument comes at the cost of progress. Link in comments 🎻

Performance Mindset

I'm incredibly grateful for messages like this. Thank you, Guy Johnston

Why are musicians afraid to rest? Rethinking recovery in classical music performance In the first of a two-part series, cellist and researcher Joanna Latała debunks the myth that is ingrained in many performning musicians: that time away from one's instrument comes at the cost of progress