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Mindfulness for musicians: play with a steadier mind, without forcing calm.
An 8-week mindfulness program for musicians, led by a professional violinist and certified MBSR teacher who has lived this from the inside.
Two cohorts open for 2026. Maximum 10 participants each.
You've already tried everything to calm the nerves.
The problem isn't effort — you've put in plenty of that. It's that most of what musicians reach for when the pressure peaks doesn't actually work. It helps for a moment, then it fades. And sometimes it quietly makes things worse.
Sound familiar?
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Practising more when anxiety shows up
More repetitions from a place of stress don't build confidence — they build more checking. You play the passage again and again, but you don't feel safer. You feel busier.
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Telling yourself to just focus
You can't think your way out of a stress response. Without a real method, "focus" stays a command your nervous system ignores — especially when it matters most.
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Trying to push away what you feel before you walk in
Suppressing nerves, self-doubt, or the inner critic doesn't make them quieter. It makes them louder — precisely at the moment you need clarity.
None of these are your fault.
They're just the wrong tools for what's actually happening:
Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It's not broken. But without the right tools, you're trying to override a biological response with willpower — and that doesn't work.
There's a method that works with your nervous system instead of against it. One that gives you something real to do with your attention when pressure shows up — in rehearsals, in auditions, in the moments before you walk in.
That method is Mindfulness for Musicians — an 8-week programme based on the MBSR protocol (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), one of the most research-backed approaches to stress reduction in the world. I teach it live, in small online groups, to musicians who are done white-knuckling their way through the pressure.
Hi, I'm David
I'm a professional violinist — principal second violin of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra — and a certified MBSR teacher (VMBN Category 1) and ICF PCC Coach with over 1,500 hours of coaching experience.
I didn't come to mindfulness from a book or a retreat. I came to it from inside a professional orchestra career — the auditions, the chronic tension that doesn't go away between concerts, the self-criticism that shows up precisely when you need to be present.
Mindfulness for Musicians is built on what changed how I live inside that world. Not by making the pressure disappear — by changing my relationship to it.
That's what I teach. And I keep every group to a maximum of 10 musicians, so this is never a webinar. I see every person in the room.
I learn your name, your instrument, and what you're carrying.
What becomes possible
after 8 weeks.
Here's a question worth sitting with:
What if the pressure didn't have to disappear for you to perform well?
What if you could meet it steadily, clearly, without fighting yourself on the way in?
✅ You know how to return to your own attention when the spiral starts — before an audition, mid-rehearsal, in the pause before you walk on stage.
✅ The inner critic is still there. But it loses its grip. You learn to see it as a thought, not a verdict — and that changes everything.
✅ You stop running on autopilot through rehearsals and performances and start actually being present in the music. Not surviving it. Being in it.
This isn't about adding another practice to an already full schedule. It's about changing the quality of attention you bring to everything you already do.
How the 8 weeks are structured.
The programme moves through three phases — each one building directly on the last.
Phase 1 — Recognise what's running you (Weeks 1–3)
You learn to step out of autopilot and see your patterns clearly. The body scan teaches you to notice what stress actually feels like in your body — before it takes over. You identify the difference between reacting and responding.
Phase 2 — Work with pressure, not against it (Weeks 4–6)
You build practical tools for the moments that matter. The 3-minute Breathing Space gives you something concrete to do in the 10 minutes before you walk on stage. You learn how thoughts like "I'm going to fail this audition" create a physiological stress response — and what to do instead of feeding the spiral.
Phase 3 — Integrate it into how you live (Weeks 7–8 + Day of Silence)
Mindfulness stops being something you practise and starts being how you move through your musical life. The Day of Silence (5 hours, fully guided) deepens everything you've built and gives you a lived experience of sustained presence.
By the end of the 8 weeks, the tools you've built aren't programme tools. They're yours.
Why this works:
the science behind the programme.
Mindfulness for Musicians is built on the MBSR protocol (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) — developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the late 1970s, and now one of the most widely researched mindfulness programmes in the world.
Over 40 years of peer-reviewed research has shown that MBSR produces measurable changes in how the nervous system responds to stress — not by suppressing it, but by changing the relationship between attention and experience. Participants consistently report reduced anxiety, improved emotional regulation, and greater capacity to stay present under pressure.
version of it.
The 8-week structure is not arbitrary. Research shows that this duration allows the brain to build new attentional habits through daily practice — the neurological equivalent of learning a new instrument. You’re not just learning techniques. You’re rewiring how you respond.
Everything that's included...
8 weekly live group sessions (2.5 hours each, via Zoom) — so you learn in real time, ask questions, and practise alongside musicians who understand your world
Day of Silence (5 hours, fully guided) — so you go deeper than any weekly session can take you, and integrate everything you've built over 8 weeks
Personal intake conversation before the programme begins — so your teacher knows who you are and what you're carrying before the first session
Digital workbook with weekly guidance and reflections — so you always know what to focus on and how to connect each week's practice to your musical life
Audio guided meditations for daily home practice — so the 30–45 minutes of daily practice feels supported, not uncertain
Maximum 10 participants per cohort — so this is never a webinar. Every person in the room matters
Total programme investment: €497
Includes all sessions · workbook · audio meditations · intake · Day of Silence
Payment plan available:
2 × €267
Choose your cohort.
Two cohorts are open for 2026. When they fill, the next dates are in 2027.
Cohort 1 — Saturday afternoons
📅 Aug 29 → Oct 17, 2026
🗓 Saturdays
🕑 14:30 – 17:00 CEST
🔇 Day of Silence: Oct 5 · 11:00 – 16:00 CEST
🌍 Compatible with Europe · USA · UK · Latin America
Cohort 2 — Wednesday evenings
📅 Sep 30 → Nov 18, 2026
🗓 Wednesdays
🕑 19:30 – 22:00 CEST
🔇 Day of Silence: Nov 8
🌍 Compatible with Europe · USA · UK · Latin America
Total programme investment: €497
Includes all sessions · workbook · audio meditations · intake · Day of Silence
Payment plan available:
2 × €267
After you reserve your spot, you'll receive a link to book your personal intake conversation. If after that conversation it's not the right moment for you — no problem. You'll receive a full refund.
TESTIMONIALS
What others
are saying about
Mindfulness for musicians
"This awareness has brought a sense of calm"
"The programme has been a truly eye-opening experience. I’ve learned to be more present and to create space between myself and my thoughts. While I still catch myself overthinking the past or worrying about the future, I’m now more aware that these are just thoughts-not reality. This awareness has brought a sense of calm, focus and clarity into my life. I highly recommend this journey to anyone seeking more mindfulness and peace in their everyday life.."
-Nir Rom Nagy
"My life changed forever"
"I am taking this new-found inner calm and connection to my natural needs and instincts. Letting go of perfectionism and actionism and prioritizing calm and mental clarity instead feels like a very valuable shift of perspective both for my professional and personal daily life. I feel like I am taking more responsibility for my life, my choices and reactions. Over all, I am much calmer and more in touch with my inner needs and subtle changes in mood and energy."
- Sophia Rasche
A few things worth saying directly.
"I've tried mindfulness before and it didn't stick."
That makes sense — and it's the most common thing I hear. Apps, one-off workshops, and guided videos don't work for most people because there's no structure, no accountability, and no one who actually understands what a musical life feels like. This is 8 weeks, live, in a small group, with a teacher who has been inside this profession for over 40 years. The difference is real.
"I don't have 30–45 minutes a day."
The musicians who get the most from these 8 weeks aren't the ones with the most time. They're the ones who decide this matters enough. The daily practice doesn't add to your mental load — it replaces something that's already taking that time: rumination, checking, the mental noise between sessions. You're not adding a task. You're changing what happens in the time that already exists.
"I'm not sure €497 is the right investment right now."
That's a fair question to sit with. What I'd ask you to consider: a single coaching session with a performance specialist costs €150–250. This is 8 weeks of live group work, a Day of Silence, a personal intake, and all the materials — for less than two sessions. The tools you build don't expire when the programme ends. They're yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior experience with mindfulness?
No. The programme is designed to work for complete beginners and for musicians who have some prior experience but never built a consistent practice.
Is this only for classical musicians?
No. The programme is for musicians of all backgrounds and instruments. The framing comes from a classical orchestral context — but the tools apply to any musician facing pressure, self-criticism, or mental exhaustion.
What if I can't attend every session?
Reach out before enrolling. We'll discuss your situation in the intake conversation. Missing one session occasionally is manageable — the programme is not designed to work without consistent attendance.
Is this therapy?
No. Mindfulness for Musicians is an evidence-based training programme, not a clinical treatment. If you're currently under psychiatric care or in a mental health crisis, please consult your provider before joining.
What happens after I register?
You go directly to a secure checkout. After payment, you'll receive a link to book your personal intake conversation via Zoom.
Questions?
Email: [email protected]
Your music deserves a present mind.
After these 8 weeks, you'll:
Know how to return to your own attention when pressure peaks — in performance, in rehearsal, in daily life
Relate to the inner critic differently: as a thought, not a verdict
Stop running on autopilot through your musical life
Feel more present in the music itself — not just surviving it
Carry a practice that doesn't end when the programme does
This isn't just about managing nerves before performances. It's about living your musical life from the inside — with more clarity, more steadiness, and more of the joy that made you choose music in the first place.
Here's something worth considering:
If you join Mindfulness for Musicians and it doesn't feel right during the intake conversation — you'll receive a full refund. No risk. No loss.
But if you don't take action today?
The next available cohorts after these two are in 2027. And the pattern — the checking, the self-criticism, the pressure that takes over right when you need to be present — stays exactly where it is.
What's the real cost of waiting one more year?