This post highlights the Edx MOOC course by Dr. Noa Kageyama that will help get those pesky performance nerves settled. And its all free. Want to Know more?
What is MOOC?
This is the acronym for:
Massive Open Online Course
Edx is the leader in offering these courses, where you can sign up for anything from Computer Science to Spanish literature. These are offered by some of the worlds best institutions, such as Harvard, Oxford, Berkley and MIT. All free! So…
…what is the catch?
Well, none really! You sign up for the course and then opt to audit it – the free pathway, and off you go! Of course you can opt to pay as well, in which case you get a certificate which can be placed on your LinkedIn profile and given to your Mom to display in the kitchen! They used to give certificates on the free route, but alas, no more: you have to pay for those now. That being said it is not expensive, most start at $49 and go upwards from there. It is possible to study a whole curriculum and earn points for courses at the institutions or even a micro masters degree. It really is all up to you.
The one proviso in all of this is generally you need to score 60% and above to achieve the certificate, they don’t give them away totally free. So that means you have to engage with the course, its curriculum and hand in homework! Which, yes, is marked. Now this is where you need thick skin, as the course work is not marked by the course tutors, but anomalously by the students. And it can get a little demoralizing if not down right catty sometimes in the comments and marks. Edx do have a system to report these however most students play fair and mark fair, as they are all in the same boat. Most course are self paced, so you can study when you want.
And one last bit of advice, it’s a hassle but get verified with Edx! Otherwise no name on those certificates!
Check out Wikipedia for a more detailed analysis of MOOC’S – here.
Or check out the Edx homepage – here.
Julliard School
So the Julliard School of Music has now joined the amazing world of MOOC and Edx (read their blog entry about this – here), and as such they have some great (but obvious) courses for you to enroll on, such as:
- Music Theory
- Active Listening: Orchestral
- active Listening: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Sharpen your piano artistry
However they have a course that I feel more people, and definitely more musicians should know about, and probably don’t.
- Perform at your best
Perform Your Best
This is a foundation course into performance psychology by Dr. Noa Kageyama. What is it all about? Well taken right off the description:
You will learn how to overcome your fears around performing in front of an audience and discover how universal the experience of performance anxiety is amongst musicians at all levels – from beginner to professional.
The three psychological skills covered in this course are:
- Practice that Sticks;
- Beating Anxiety;
- Getting (and Staying) in the Zone.
If you don’t know or haven’t heard of Dr, Kageyama then check out his blog posts where he gives loads of tips along with tons of inspiration all under the guise of – The Bulletproof Musician. It is worth signing up for the newsletter as you get these short lessons delivered right into your mail box for perusal any time.
The course is only 4 weeks long with 1-2 hours a week effort. What are you waiting for this stuff works, and its free.
Get the link – here.
Want More?
Dr. Kageyama is a former student of Don Green, one of the leaders in this field, and if you haven’t heard of him I suggest you check out these awesome books. They are filled with tons of help and are recommend reading for any serious music student or musicians. The man has helped many people, not just musicians get ahead in their careers, whether that’s as an Olympic swimmer or the Navy. And you can take his advice straight to the bank, its proven and works.
Like what you’ve read?
Consider keeping in contact through the occasional letter. Bonus: Sign up today for free music, Rhayn is giving away an original piece, delivered to your inbox.