Repeat for results
Carla Wallenda performs in Sarasota in 1960. (State Library and Archives of Florida)
I frequently draw on my experience as a music teacher to solve problems in other subjects.
In music, the effectiveness of various learning strategies and tactics can be quickly and easily heard. Therefore, as I experimented, it became obvious which ones to keep using.
One of the most straightforward of these was simple repetition. But the key, I discovered, was to repeat something until you saw results, compressing your effort into a short period of time.
With piano, it went like this:
A six-year-old came in for their lesson and stumbled through “London Bridge.” It was clear from his playing that he didn’t practice much, but from their demeanor I could see that he did practice some. “My mom said I had to play it three times every day.”
Next, I made a tally mark on the page. “Play it again,” I said, compelling him with my teacher vibes.
Less than a minute later, the song was complete. Another tally mark, and again I said, “Play it again.”
Then, another run-through, another tally mark, another “Play it again!”
At this point, the student had played the song three times, but it still sounded awkward and uncertain. Clearly, three times wasn’t enough. We had to push it further.
Therefore, we kept repeating the song. The student giggled and pretended to whine about it. “Agaaaaainnn?” But like most students, he liked the attention and got a kick out of my exaggeratedly terse, drill-sergeant-like instructions.
Five minutes and another six run-throughs later, the song finally sounded like “London Bridge.” It was smooth, steady, and confident. The transformation was significant enough for the student and his parent to hear the difference.
Three times isn’t enough, but in this case, nine times did the trick. Few kids would think of playing the song nine times, but that’s what it took to yield noticeable results. It didn’t take that much longer — only five more minutes! — but it made a big impact.
The takeaway for the student and parent (and for all of us) is that you have to stick with something long enough to see results, and these results aren’t as far away as they seem to be.
An important note: Once you see the results you’re looking for, you can end that practice session. Repeating ad nauseam is not the goal. Too much of a good thing is no longer good. Wait till the next day, and see how it goes. If you needed seven reps today, maybe you only need five tomorrow to get to the same point. But doing 12 today will be counterproductive.
Here are a few examples of how my students and I have used repetition to yield results:
On Khan Academy, we practice one key exercise until we get a “Going Transonic” badge (which means the student answered ten questions in a row quickly and correctly) or until the skill begins to feel automatic. If one-step equations don’t feel easy and smooth, why move on to two-step equations?
We repeat one Seterra geography quiz until we beat the previous day’s time or accuracy.
With flashcards, we practice not just for correct answers but to eliminate hesitations.
Many of us don’t like to review or repeat learning tasks. However, when we see results, our motivation and buy-in increases. It’s exciting to see ourselves getting better in realtime, and it’s possible when we stick with something just longer than we normally would.