Most of us practice the way we were taught: play the hard spot again and again until it sounds right. The book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning says that habit can fool us. It came out in 2014 from Harvard University Press. Its authors are Peter C. Brown, a writer, and Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel, psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis who study learning and memory. The book is about learning in general, but studies of musicians point the same way. Here are its main ideas and how to use them at home.

Easy repetition feels like learning

The book warns that rereading, cramming, and repeating a new skill over and over create an illusion of mastery. The gains fade quickly. Fast repetition feels smooth, and we take that smooth feeling as a sign that we have learned something.

A study of pianists shows the trap. Twenty-five people with piano training practiced short melodies two ways: one melody repeated before moving to the next, or several melodies mixed in random order. Repeating one melody at a time made them faster during practice. Two days later, they played the mixed-order melodies faster. The pianists still expected the repeated practice to serve them better.

Recall it instead of replaying it

The book recommends retrieval practice: pulling something out of memory instead of reviewing it again. Recalling strengthens a memory and slows forgetting, and a short quiz teaches more than another reading.

Musicians do this too. In one case study, a concert pianist learning Debussy's "Clair de Lune" tried to play from memory almost from the start, and practicing recall was one of her main activities.

At home, this can look like:

  • Before your child plays a piece with the music or the recording, ask them to play the first line from memory. Then check it together.
  • Instead of reminding your child what the teacher asked for this week, ask them to show you. The book's tips for parents suggest having children explain what they are learning.

Space it out

The book also recommends coming back to something after a little forgetting has set in. When you return to a piece a bit rusty, recall takes more effort and feels less productive, but the learning lasts longer. Its tips for parents favor a little review on several nights in a row over one big push at the end.

A 2012 study of musicians learning a short keyboard pattern found something similar. Players became more accurate at their second session only when the sessions were a day apart, not minutes or hours. Our article How Often Should You Have Music Lessons? has more on spacing practice through the week, and Practice Makes Progress has ideas for a home routine.

  • Spread practice over the week instead of saving it for the night before a lesson.

Mix it up

Interleaving means switching between two or more skills in one session instead of finishing one before starting the next. The book says interleaved and varied practice helps learners choose the right approach later, in new situations. Researchers in the Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab at UCLA likewise list varying the conditions of practice as a helpful kind of difficulty.

Two studies of clarinet players fit this idea. In the first, 41 beginning clarinet students practiced short exercises either in blocks or in random order. The two groups played no differently at the end of practice, but at a later test the random-order group played faster.

In the second, ten advanced clarinetists practiced some pieces in one 12-minute block each and others in 3-minute turns. When the judges heard a difference, they rated the pieces practiced in turns higher, though the judges did not always agree. The players said switching helped them set goals, stay focused, and catch mistakes.

At home, this can look like:

  • Pick two or three small tasks, such as a scale, a tricky measure, and a review piece. Spend a few minutes on each, then go around again.
  • Change one condition at a time: a slower speed, a different room, or starting from the middle of the piece.

When practice feels harder

The psychologist Robert Bjork gave this idea a name: "desirable difficulties." These are ways of practicing that seem to slow progress during practice but bring larger gains over time. Spacing, testing yourself, and varying practice are all examples.

That is also why these methods are hard to keep up. In the study of advanced clarinetists, most players found switching more useful, yet most still preferred repeating one piece at a time. Learners often take extra effort as a sign that they are learning poorly. According to the book, the effort is what makes the learning last.

Mistakes are part of the process. The authors write that making mistakes and correcting them builds the bridges to advanced learning.

  • Start practice by playing one recent piece straight through, before working on it. The book says testing yourself shows what you really know, and the first try of the day tells you what has stuck.

Most of these ideas change how practice time is spent, not how much of it there is. If you would like to talk about your child's practice, we are happy to help.

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