MARC GELFO is the founder and CEO of Modacity, a rehearsal environment for your mobile device.
Marc has been practicing music for 30+ years. After applying cognitive science and computer science to French horn, Marc became an internationally touring symphony musician. His experience includes teaching and performing with thousands of musicians around the world, including the San Francisco Symphony. Modacity is a direct expression of Marc’s dedication to integrating science, music, wellness, and technology through meaningful and large scale collaborations.
Listeners of The A440 Podcast can get a lifetime subscription to Modacity for the incredibly generous rate of $115!
Join me as I interview Marc Gelfo, musician and creator of the Modacity Practice App - an all inclusive practice aid that also includes a recorder and drone.
Marc Gelfo is the Co-Founder & CEO of Modacity - an app that aims to help musicians use their practice time efficiently and effectively. Marc and I discuss how Modacity works, what it’s like to create a mobile app from scratch and tips for practicing more effectively.
This week on the podcast, I talk with neuro-symphonic hornist and creator of the practice app, Modacity. Marc brings an incredible versatility to music making and has an inspiring holistic approach to practicing and living music.
We discuss:
Join Marc and I for a month of mindful practice during the month of November!
DETAILS INCLUDED AT THE END OF THE EPISODE AND BELOW HERE!
ALL ABOUT MARC:
Marc’s webiste: https://marsgelfo.com/
Modacity: https://www.modacity.co/
Challenge Participants: Download the Modacity app and visit https://www.modacity.co/mindful-music-upgrade/ for access to all the app’s premium features for FREE for the whole month of November!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsgelfo/
Modacity’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ModacityApp/
Modacity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modacityapp/
Why You Should Use Modacity to Practice Music
How To: Deliberate Practice for Musicians & How to Use Modacity's Improvement Feature
The art of breathing: http://www.jessicawolfartofbreathing.com/for-purchase/
Research on the advantages of recording practice - "When audience members were played recordings of both types of performance, a significant majority expressed a preference for the performances that were created in a mindful state." http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735607086053
Contrabass Conversation episode #515: Practice better with Modacity – Jason Heath interviews Marc
Jason Heath’s blog: How I’m practicing music better using Modacity and forScore
Jason Heath’s video Modacity: my favorite new tool for better practicing
Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery Second Edition by Eric N. Franklin
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful by Eric Ries
Today we're joined by Marc Gelfo, a self-described “Neuro-symphonic Hornist” who has played French Horn in some of the top symphony orchestras and is the creator of the Modacity app which helps you practice music more effectively and enjoyably.
When we first came across the Modacity app, we were impressed. But quite often the research and literature around music practice seems to end up being quite divorced from the actual expressive and creative nature of music itself, so since it’s quite a scientific and sophisticated app, our first assumption was that the creator was probably quite a technical guy. In fact, we discovered that nothing could be further from the truth!
Marc’s a fascinating guy and in this conversation we talk about:
• What an epic road trip taught him about what his French Horn could do
• How you can start connecting with the more expressive side of music-making, even if you don’t consider yourself creative or artistic
• The principles that can transform the effectiveness of your music practice and get you better results faster, and in a more enjoyable way.
Ever wondered about the link between neuroscience and music?
If so, listen to this podcast! You’ll get to learn all about neuroscience and music practice.
In this episode, Modacity Founder Marc Gelfo teamed up with Brent Vaartstra from Learn Jazz Standards to talk about how knowing more about cognition can speed up musical mastery.
Marc likes to call himself a neuro-symphonic french hornist. He strongly believes that the link between mind and body has a direct impact on music practice. Why? Well, Marc took what he knew about cognitive science and applied it to music. And following that, he was able to excel musically.
This is why he thinks that learning more about neuroscience can help with musical success. What’s more, is that Marc wanted to share what he learned. He wanted the world of music to know about the link between cognition and music practice. After all, that’s what made his music practice so much better. Furthermore, this is what inspired him to build Modacity.
Here’s what’s covered in this podcast episode:
After a recent podcast appearance from Lauren Pierce all about her Practiceology course, I was contacted by Elizabeth Li of Modacity. Modacity is a practicing app developed by Marc Gelfo, a horn player who used to be in the Hong Kong Philharmonic and who is a regular extra with the San Francisco Symphony.
Modacity has become my constant practice companion. Honestly, I haven’t been this excited about an app in years. I had the chance to sit down in person with Marc here in San Francisco, and we dig into all the cool features of this app, how it is built to encourage “deliberate practice” (more on that in the interview!), Marc’s path from Northwestern University to eventually founding his own startup, and much more!
I did a video walkthrough of how I’m using the app to better my practicing. Be sure to also check out Modacity on the App Store, and visit their website and blog for more great content about how to make your practicing better!
Marc Gelfo is a hornist and the Founder/CEO of Modacity, an app designed to take your practicing game to the next level. After applying cognitive science & computer science to his own work on the French horn, Marc became an internationally touring symphony musician, having held tenure-track jobs in Hong Kong and Macau. He has taught and performed with thousands of musicians around the world, including the San Francisco Symphony. Modacity is a direct expression of Marc’s dedication to integrating science, music, wellness, and technology through meaningful and large scale collaborations.
On this episode of Sound Mind, Marc and Cameron discuss Gretchen Reuben's four personality types, meditation, how to practice effectively, and more.
TEM150: How to 10x your progress and moving on quickly from your bad ideas - A conversation with Modacity's Marc Gelfo
Marc Gelfo is the CEO and co-founder of Modacity,
I can't believe we made it to 150 episodes together! Thank you to each and every one of you for listening and for giving TEM your attention. I wouldn't have made it past the 10th episode without you!
Next stop: 200!
What You'll Learn: