Learn Faster, Perform Better

I’ll admit I rolled my eyes when I saw yet another book promising to ‘revolutionize’ practice. But *Learn Faster, Perform Better* won me over by minute 20—not with hype, but with Gebrian’s brutal takedown of ‘the cult of long practice hours.’ Her background as both a performer and a researcher lets her translate studies (like the one about interleaved vs. blocked practice) into *immediately* usable advice. The chapter on ‘desirable difficulties’—where she argues that struggling *is* the learning—changed how I approach even 10-minute warm-ups. Melanie Carey’s narration is a masterclass in serving the material. She slows down for the science-heavy sections (no rushed jargon here) and speeds up during Gebrian’s anecdotes, like the one about her own audition meltdown, which she delivers with just enough self-deprecating humor to make it relatable. My only critique? The production occasionally dips in audio quality during transitions—likely a mic distance issue—but it’s minor. More substantially, Gebrian’s dismissal of ‘ear training apps’ as gimmicks feels overly absolute; a nuanced take on their *limited* role would’ve been fairer. Still, this is the rare audiobook I��ve replayed chapters of mid-practice session. If you’ve ever left the practice room exhausted but unimproved, this is your intervention.