LATEST BLOG POSTS!
Blog
How does constant long term stress effect my learning?
During the last year we have been living with numerous stressors both external and internal, from financial to health and mental health.
I have noticed this has had an affect on my memory – specifically my sight reading. My learning of new repertoire has slowed and I require more short frequent breaks to maintain my concentration levels.
My sight reading though was an issue that started in around October 2020. My speed and accuracy started to decline, despite my efforts to practice it and really quicken it up, it remains stubbornly slow and depending on the time of day inaccurate.
Halloween is upon us and unfortunately here in Ireland there will be no parties or trick or treating this year. So, without the usual social events that happen at Halloween how do we entertain ourselves and celebrate the holiday a little?
Well let’s re-create music we have heard from scary scenes in film and tv using the piano, I have some suggestions that even beginners can use to create a spooky, ominous atmosphere perfect for Halloween.
Let's talk a little about music theory.
Is it important, yes?
Do you need to sit an exam or take a course in order to understand music theory?
No, you don't have to sit an exam or take a course to understand music theory, you can just ask your piano teacher.
It will take extra time so your lesson time needs to increase, or take 2 lessons a week, theory can be online too! You can also follow the course books by ABRSM or another exam board for their theory exams.
Music theory can seem scary and daunting at first, but it's not, it's just trying to put an explanation to the sounds we hear and why they work together.
Music has been my constant companion, since I was a child. When I didn’t have access to a piano or lessons for a year or two at a time, immersing myself in music was all that would calm and centre me.
Now as an adult and the harsh reality that modern houses and living don’t accommodate grand pianos easily, I learned renting for years and having to compromise my acoustic for a basic digital, that there is always a work around.
Maybe you’ve heard whispers of these maybe you haven’t.
What are the technical exercises?
Well they fall into different categories there are mechanical technical exercises like Hanon there are more technique-based exercises like Brahms 51 exercises, Liszt exercises, Czerny technical exercises Geoffrey tankards exercises even down to a dozen a day for beginners.
So, what do they do and why is there such a divide about them?
To put it bluntly technical exercises without the guidance of a teacher to hear how you're progressing every week to spot errors as they occur can be of benefit. Without a teacher to guide you technical exercises can lead to bad technique as it is very difficult to spot your errors, unless you record and critically listen to each practice.
How does constant long term stress effect my learning?
Well to re cap from last month:
Stress has a visible affect
It impairs memory retrieval:
The risk of forgetting information in exams or performances.
Stress may hamper the updating of memories in the light of new information and induce a shift from a flexible, ‘cognitive’ form of learning towards rather rigid, ‘habit’-like behaviour.