Repetition: The Key to Learning

Many years ago when I was still teaching piano, there was a student who arrived on time but immediately confessed that she had not practiced at all that week. Aaaaarrrrgh! The first thought that went through my mind was that she was not only wasting her parents’ money, she was also wasting my time.

But then I decided there was actually a valuable way to use our time together. I told her that was fine, and let’s just use the lesson time as practice time. I told her I would be at my desk doing some planning, but actually I wanted to sit back and see how she practiced.

She played through the first assigned tune on her list once, moved on to the next tune, played it once, and continued on to the next tune. I asked her if this was the way she practiced at home, and she responded with a firm “yes.”

Whoa! That opened up a great teaching moment! I was so glad we had this opportunity to have a conversation about repetitive practicing. Repetitive practice is done in so many situations. Think about it. Athletes practice this way. Military operations are practiced way, repeating drills over and over. Physical therapists expect you to continue repeating the exercises when you get home. Why not use this technique when learning to play a tune?

When something is practiced over and over, the muscles begin to memorize what they are supposed to be doing. Keep in mind, this can also work against you, if you are repeating something incorrectly over and over. So be sure you are playing every note correctly. If there is a section in your music that is tripping you up, slow it down until you find the speed at which you can play it correctly. Then repeat that section over and over, gradually increasing the speed, until you are flying though the section at the correct tempo, and every note is being played accurately.

Happy dulcimering,
Linda