1000+ Concerts Podcast
The Art of Practicing
Musethica’s 1000+ Concerts Podcast series “The Art of Practicing”, hosted by Musethica’s Artistic Director Avri Levitan, dives into the learning processes and dimensions that shape both individual music education and ensemble performance.
Each episode features conversations with musicians, teachers, and experts from fields such as health, education policy, and sports, who share the practices and approaches that have shaped their work. Listeners can expect discussions on effective practice strategies, ensemble dynamics, listening and interpretation, audience engagement, and insights from areas such as sports science that are relevant to higher music education.
Have a listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast & YouTube.
Episode 1 with Johannes Meissl
Violinist and Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Art at mdw Vienna, Johannes Meissl, shares the practical and artistic challenges of preparing and rehearsing music within limited time. Rethinking practicing, how can ensembles practice more efficiently? What makes individual preparation meaningful, and how can musicians reach convincing musical results under time pressure?
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast & YouTube
Episode 2 with Tabea Zimmermann
Violist Tabea Zimmermann, whose approach to music-making and teaching has influenced generations of musicians. Teaching is a process of guiding students to explore possibilities through imagination and sound experiments. “Train the ear first, the hands will find a way to express the music.” Find out about the challenges of today’s learning habits: What might be lost when young musicians turn too quickly to recordings instead of discovering a piece on their own? Vibrato, breathing, and the shared experience of performing are a glimpse of the topics explored in the full episodes.
Episode 3 with Dr. Molly Gebrian
Exploring the “magic of micro-breaks” with Dr. Molly Gebrian, violist and expert in the field of applying the science of learning and memory to practicing and performing music. Which neuroscience findings don’t match our culture of training and how should brain research change the way we teach practicing today? Why are both short and long breaks the key for faster and more successful learning? This episode also tackles a common misconception: guess how many hours of focused work the brain can actually handle in a day? The answer may surprise you. Tune in to find out.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcast & YouTube
Episode 4 with Jonathan Brown
“It should be highly annoying listening to someone practicing. If it sounds nice, they are not doing it very well.” Joining host Avri Levitan is Jonathan Brown, violist and Professor of Chamber Music at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
Jonathan elaborates on establishing ensemble dynamics and on how “the objective of a string quartet is not to play together and in tune.” He dispels the misconception of the teacher’s role as simply showing how things are supposed to be played, and explains how planning is key to finding the right balance between rehearsals and practicing. How do we know which recording to listen to when practicing a new piece? Why does singing help, and what, for Jonathan, is the least bad way of rehearsing? Tune in and get inspired.
Available in spring 2026
What’s coming next
Next episodes are underway, for example drawing on insights from sports science to explore concentration under stress and its relevance for musical performance.