The eight laws of learning are explanation, imitation, demonstration, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition
John Wooden
If, like me, you belong to any music teacher groups on social media, a debate about repetition or playing the same thing over and over in the music room has more than likely come up. Some teachers think its great, others counter that its bad, and then there are those who sit somewhere in the middle.
It’s a big subject!
Personally, I don’t know if there are specifically “eight laws” to learning but there are definitely a combination of tools in a teacher’s toolkit that can be used to help each student progress in the most effective way. Repetition has it’s place, but so does understanding, explaining, demonstrating, promoting a feeling of involvement and engagement in the process, teaching the ‘individual’ and so much more.
Repetition definitely featured in my own education. I’m sure most people remember reciting their times tables out loud at school over and over again; “One times one is one, one times two is two …”.
One of my music teacher’s would make a game out of repetition. I had to play the section we were working on three times in a row perfectly. If I went wrong it was back to the start!
How much do you use repetition in your own music teaching? Do you have any strategies for making it fun or a more effective part of the learning process?
The problem with repeating something is that it can become robotic and mechanical. After a while there is a danger the student might disengage with what they are doing, possibly even becoming bored with the process. This is why I find alternating the repetitions with something else to be far more effective.
So in my studio we blast off into outer space!
I put my tablet or computer screen in front of them and load up a game like “Crossy Planet” or “Alien Eric“. Students have to go on “missions” to unlock the game level, so when a question card or mission pops up, it’s time to play that tricky section three times.
One of the in-built tools includes some ‘fill in the blank’ flashcards so I can add the number of repetitions before the game loads. This way, when students pick a card they are in charge of their own destiny – and can’t blame me if they pick to play it six times!
Once the mission is complete, I then give them a score for their efforts and we start dodging the asteroids or flying our alien taxi across the galaxy, depending on what game they are playing.
This strategy has been a game changer in my studio and has been equally effective with my younger and older students. There is a bigger determination to get the tricky section correct (to receive the best score) and students are far more engaged and motivated to learn.
Last week one of my younger piano students was having trouble playing a few bars which included the notes B, A and G in the left hand. As well as repeating those sections, I had the option to load up a stave with draggable notes within the question card. We were able to spend a few extra minutes reviewing these notes by dragging them up or down the stave into different positions.
Find out more about how to access this collection of ‘Galaxy‘ inspired games here. If you enjoy these, there are two other collections which also include a ‘question card’ style element and would also work really well in the same way: Flashcard Fun and also Beginner Reader.
Let me know if you have any questions.
