Today's episode features Professor David Rowland, Professor of Music at the Open University and Director of Music at Christ's College, Cambridge University.If you're not a musician, you might like to skip straight to 13.27 for an interesting 10-minute chat about performance anxiety and strategies for shining under pressure in exams, interviews and high-pressure situations of all kinds, drawing on best practice from the worlds of sport and music.If you are a musician or have music exams of any kind, listen from the beginning for a fascinating conversation covering:- The art of practice, and why people sometimes mistook Rachmaninov for a beginner- The value of going for a walk, and a trick for high performance borrowed from the world of sport- Minimising surprises on the day, and adding up the marginal gains- Getting comfortable in the exam / audition / recital, and staying focused- Tips for academic music exams and dissertations: answering the question, reading more widely, and good exam technique for written papersLinks and resources mentioned in this episode:For more information on the choir at Christ's College, Cambridge: https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/join-christs-choirFor more information about studying music at the Open University: http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/find/musicFor more on exam stress and anxiety generally, check out our recent blog article on the subject at https://examstudyexpert.com/student-exam-stress/Download Exam Study Expert’s guide to using learning science to learn faster and remember more than ever before, at  https://examstudyexpert.com/freetips*ABOUT YOUR HOST: William Wadsworth, Founder & Learning Scientist at Exam Study Expert“Memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to study smarter, not harder, so they can ace their exams with less work and less stress.”BOOK 1:1 COACHING to supercharge your exam success: https://examstudyexpert.com/workwithme/Or read my exam technique book today at https://geni.us/exams *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases on suggested books. You pay nothing extra. I make these recommendations based on extensive personal experience and because I think they are genuinely helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I receive.