Syllabus
Musical Superlearning is a 4-week course designed to teach you the most advanced, scientifically-proven strategies to dramatically increase the efficiency of your music learning and practice time. This course will stimulate you to look at your practicing in much greater depth, and learn to choose the most effective (often-counterintuitive) learning strategy to bring you greater success and satisfaction in your musical learning.
MODULE 1: CONTEXTUAL INTERFERENCE AND DESIRABLE DIFFICULTY
We begin with a deep dive on contextual interference, the counter-intuitive technique which can break you through learning plateaus and sticking points, and help you improve faster than you may have thought possible.
In this module, we will
- learn about the concept of conceptual interference,
- practice using contextual interference to create desirable difficulty, and
- apply these new practice skills to your own music.
MODULE 2: DELIBERATE PRACTICE
Stepping back from the specific technique of contextual interference, we examine the overall process of deliberate practice, which can be used on both a small scale and a large scale to make sure your practice time and effort is spent in the most effective and high impact areas.
In this module, we will
- learn about the concept of deliberate practice,
- practice using deliberate practice to dial in how and what to practice, and
- apply deliberate practice to your own music.
MODULE 3: RETRIEVAL PRACTICE AND MUSICAL MEMORY
Yes, you can make big strides by not practicing – if it’s done in the right way. Retrieval practice through carefully spaced repetitions builds our musical memory and can greatly improve your musical performance.
In this module, we will
- learn about retrieval practice,
- practice using retrieval practice to build strength in your ability to access your musical memory, and
- apply retrieval practice to improve the performance of your own music.
MODULE 4: MINDSET AND FLOW
Maximizing our Musical Superlearning requires a dynamic flow between the different components of contextual interference, deliberate practice, and retrieval practice – all wrapped in an all-important growth mindset.
In this module, we will
- learn about mindset and flow,
- practice using organizing your practice for maximum efficiency, and
- apply your new mindset and organization skills to producing flow in your own musical expression.