Performance
Explore our curated collection of free and premium resources, all designed to support your journey toward musical excellence. From downloadable guides to in-depth articles, you'll find everything you need to practice smarter and perform better.
YOUR BEST PERFORMANCES ARE WAITING
Guiding Principles of Performance
Your Best Performances are waiting
These are the foundational principles you need to know to perform with confidence - every time.
SPARK PRACTICE BASICS
Great Performance Preparation isn't Linear
SPARK PATH Phases of Preparation dules of essential information, studies, and practical strategies to understand and apply the neuroscience of practicing.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR MIND
Baking the Performance Cake
Improvisation Visualisation with Feelings
DESIGNED WITH YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN MIND
The Antidote to MPA/ Performance Anxiety
Staying motivated & on track is much easier and (scientifically proven!) more efficient when you plan & write things out.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR MIND
What To Do Before you Go On Stage
Improvisation Visualisation with Feelings
Make Your PRACTICE System Work for you
Performance isn't something you "Add On" a Week Before
The Practice Journal is designed for busy, motivated musicians who want flexible support and a plan based in SPARK Practice’s unique combination of neuroscience, elite sports, top musical training, & mindfulness.
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
Train Your Brain to be On Your Team
Mental Practice is one of the most important skills we can develop as musicians.
SPARK YOUR PERSONALIZED PREPARATION
SPARK Performance Accelerator
& Audition Planner
The Practice Planner is designed for busy, motivated musicians who want flexible support and a plan based in SPARK Practice’s unique combination of neuroscience, elite sports, top musical training, & mindfulness.
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
Performance is Not a Dirty Word
Mental Practice is one of the most important skills we can develop as musicians.
Performance success starts in the practice room.
When you learn how to practice, the whole world opens.
SARAH NIBLACK, THE PRACTICE PROFESSOR
START HERE
Confident performance is easy
With the right skills & support
Courses and workshops for passionate teachers to deepen their knowledge and skills
SPARK Assessment
The trifecta of practice support that work seamlessly together to help your students succeed - so you can focus on the music!
Audition Club
Every teacher needs support. Come for the teacher support group, exclusive tools for your students, studio, & parents
Audition Lab
Keep learning and developing your toolbox as a teacher and musician with proven, neuroscience-backed tools
SPARK Performance Accelerator & Audition Planner
Join as a class and benefit from all of the SPARK Practice tools, activities, and support for your students - as well as the groups, events, and special benefits for teachers!
Practice for Performance
Start Today!
MARCH - APRIL
Best Practice(s) Blog
Proven Tips, Expert Articles, Practical Strategies, Best Practices, and more to practice smarter, practice better, gain practice efficiency, beat performance anxiety, cultivate confidant performances, and have more fun on stage from SPARK Practice, the revolutionary new way to practice.
PATH Phases & Strategies
Next Cohort:
MARCH - APRIL
SPARK Practice Library
SPARK Practice teaches neuroscience-backed, effective music practice, supportive mental preparation with mindsets for performance, and accelerated, easy, confident performance preparation. Skip the musician's performance anxiety, improve your practice efficiency, develop your musical artistry, and strategically build your nervous system for confident performances. We collaborate with inspired musicians and innovative educators like you. If you're a motivated music student, professional musician, invested music parent, or passionate music teacher and want to learn how to love performance, enjoy music practice, practice music with purpose, and always make progress in the practice room, you're in the right place to find your SPARK!
Neuroscience-based expert music practice with SPARK Practice
Science, strategy, and fun bring expert, research-backed strategies and frameworks into the practice room for efficient practice, supportive mindsets, and confident performance!
Performance success starts in the practice room.
When you learn how to practice, the whole world opens.
SARAH NIBLACK, THE PRACTICE PROFESSOR
PERSONALIZED TRAINING
Practice Coaching & Performance Training
Bespoke Support For Motivated Musicians
Ready to reach your big goals? Work directly with the SPARK Practice founder to customize the suite of SPARK Practice tools, frameworks, and support to realize your potential. Preparing auditions, coming back from an injury, experiencing burnout, or just want to make sure you're getting the most out of your practice? Apply now for exclusive access and custom support.
Custom Training & Coaching
Exclusive access and personalized tools to reach your goals and realize your potential
Practice Boost Consultation
Book your Practice Boost to solve your practice, mindset, & performance worries
I wanted to circle back and say THANK YOU AGAIN.
It’s truly been a transformative experience for me and I’ve emerged having gained more confidence, insight and joy for making music.
I’ve really been needing for a long time. In previous years of my musical studies, I’ve faced many difficulties with how to practice effectively. Never having felt I learned how to practice, many insecurities arose and made life very challenging.
Your commitment to creating a safe space and helping me envision my full potential has given me newfound energy to achieve my goals. I couldn’t be more grateful for your enthusiasm, passion and support. It made the world of a difference.
ARI, Grad Student, USA
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers & ask your own questions
You're looking for the SPARK Learning Environment, which can be found at learn.sparkpractice.com
Courses, events, and the Practice Room community all live in the SPARK Learning Environment.
Nope. Everything is musician-friendly, explained step by step.
There are some exercises that have modifications for different levels of difficulty, like yoga poses or weightlifting.
SPARK Practice is here to support you as much (or as little) as you need - and while there are some variants in instrument-specificity, many of the principles of learning, strategic training, and mental preparation are similar for everyone - regardless of playing level or experience.
Please SIGN IN and try again.
Also, if you're not yet a Practice Room member, the links won't be activated. Please join The Practice Room and participate in all the events!
Nope. Audition Club is a community project started by Sarah Niblack during the covid pandemic. It's hosted on the SPARK Practice platform but doesn't require a Practice Room membership to participate.
If you want to be part of Performance Lab, that series requires a Practice Room membership.
You're looking for the SPARK Learning Environment, which can be found at learn.sparkpractice.com
If you need a receipt, please check your email (and spam!)
Troubleshooting and technical questions can be found HERE.
Yes. Videos and audio that you post for challenges and asking for feedback from other Practice Room members is confidential. Anything from SPARK Boosts is also confidential.
We have a very strict no-troll policy. No recordings, no sharing other people's private stuff, no being mean-spirited. No second chances if you're mean or share someone else's community posts without express permission. Any misconduct means an immediate and permanent ban, and because it's a violation of the terms and conditions, there's no refund.
Short answer? Yes. Here are some stories of SPARK Practice helping.
Longer answer? Also yes - SPARK Practice is strategic training of practice for performance, and mental preparation / nervous system training - while cultivating support, curiosity, creativity, and fun.
We figured out the formula to practice better, cultivate supportive mindsets, and perform confidently - every time - all with a supportive community and a big dose of fun.
With expert-led, neuroscience-driven strategies and frameworks, the Intentional Practice System(tm) strategically builds practice, mindset, and performance. We boost the science with fun and community (which also is science).
I get it - I've been there. I stopped playing for 5 years when I graduated from conservatory.
It's totally ok. Sometimes it's great to have someone sit with you and help you look at - I like to use the analogy of emptying the backpack on the kitchen table. Let's see what's in there - keep the good stuff, put away what needs to be put away, clear out the chewing gum and receipts, and look at what's actually going on.
Whatever you have going on is figure-out-able, and I'm great at helping you see what resources / support you actually have so you can lean into what you want - with an expert-guided plan to maximize your effort, connect with your intrinsic motivation, and make major strides forward.
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HOW SPARK PRACTICE WORKS
Great Performance starts with Great Practice
Adapted to Your Unique Profile
Achieve consistent, confident results with SPARK Practice, the Intentional Practice System
SPARK Practice Timer
The Practice Library
Best Practices Blog
Practice Boost
Research & References
Interactive Practice