A note from Natalie: UK educator Rowina Seidler has done some fascinating firsthand research into helping students become more proficient with note identification. With our practice incentive theme this year entirely focused on developing sightreading fluency (Cracking the Crystal Code), this is of particular interest to me! I hope you enjoy reading about her research and the new app she has developed.
(5 minute read)
Summary:
- 3 potential problems with the Landmark Notes method
- A proposed modified pedagogical approach using the Memory Palace technique
- Results: How the Memory Palace technique enabled a number of test subjects to learn to read and play 29 different notes in only 5 days
3 Potential Problems
Many piano teachers find the Landmark Notes approach to be a highly effective method for helping students learn to read music.
Even though it offers many advantages, there can still be a few potential problems for some beginners…
Potential problem 1: When a beginner is playing by interval and gets lost, they must first find the nearest landmark note. Then they must judge the interval from that landmark to the new note to play it. Until this becomes automatic, this multi-step process may feel complicated and mentally taxing to some beginners.
Potential problem 2: Until this multi-step procedure becomes instinctive, it risks breaking the beginner’s flow when sight-reading a piece of music.
Potential problem 3: Learning the nine landmark notes can take time, and may feel frustrating or dull to some beginners.
Using the Landmarks approach, eventually each note between the landmarks, also becomes a landmark in the student’s mind. By that point, those potential risks have long disappeared.
However, reaching that point can take considerable time for some students.
A Modified Pedagogical Approach?
In October 2023 I had an idea for a modified pedagogical approach.
I was inspired by memory master Rajveer Meena — who at age 21, memorized a 70,000-digit number using the powerful Memory Palace technique.
The idea…
- Teach the intervals the way you normally do, using your same tools and method books (such as the excellent ‘Succeeding at the Piano’ by Dr Helen Marlais).
- When you think students have become confident enough reading by interval, use the Memory Palace technique to quickly turn 29 notes and their keys (C2-C6) all into vivid landmarks in a learner’s mind (the same note range covered by the original landmarks approach).
- Teach the rule: ‘Whenever you can, read by interval. Only think about the notes if you have to.’
This modified approach would, in theory, retain all the benefits of the original landmarks method, be much quicker, and avoid the potential risks outlined earlier.
But how fast could someone learn to read and play 29 notes with the Memory Palace technique? Would they get bored?
To find out, I spent a year and a half building an app that listens to the piano (based on the Memory Palace technique) with accompanying piano overlays:
A surprising result…
At first, I designed the app—which I called Noteology—as a 30-day programme (around 1 hour per day).
My first 6 testers (ages 8 to 71) progressed enthusiastically on day one, but soon lost interest. I found this deeply discouraging—until I discovered the reason.
Remarkably, they had already learned to identify all 15 treble notes on the very first day—material the app spread across five days. That’s why they’d grown bored after the first day.
I knew the Memory Palace technique was powerful, but such speedy identification of 15 notes still surprised me.
This surprise led me to try radically condensing the 30-day programme into a 5-day programme. I then tested it again on a new group of testers…
Reuben and Julie
My first new tester was Reuben (age 11). On Monday he did not know how to read a single note.
By Friday (after using Noteology for about an hour and a quarter per day), he could correctly read and play any of the 29 notes randomly displayed.
Yes, he played them a little slowly—but he knew them. He wasn’t calculating; he was accessing his Memory Palace. And, he’d stayed motivated throughout.
Far more surprising was that his mother, Julie (who believes she’s dyslexic) had also learned to read and play those notes, simply by watching Reuben use Noteology.
Then they went on holiday for a month. When they returned, their note recall was slower.
I was again disheartened. The notes had gone into their mid-term memory, but had faded. What could I do?
Longer-term memory
To lock the notes into more long-term memory, I tried adding a simple 5-minute warm-up after the 5-day system to be completed:
6 days a week for the 1st week
4 days a week for the 2nd week
3 days for the 3rd and final week
The routine was based on the science-backed ‘spaced repetition’ technique, the benefits of which are shown by the graph below.
Reuben and Julie completed the warm-up routine. Their speed increased, and the notes stuck. Eight months later and they still remember them.
More testers, similar results
Jasmin (8), Amber-Lily (10), Roxy (8), Ruby (10) and Alex (11) all saw similar fast results.
Moreover, like Reuben, all these new testers kept motivated throughout.
Did Noteology work so well for everyone?
From Pascale (58), I found Noteology didn’t work well for those who thought in a different language.
From Nathan (6), I learnt Noteology can be too fast paced for very young students. From Ian (7), I discovered that some students need each day of the system split into 2-3 days. From Elisha (11), I ascertained that some students need an adult with them throughout to stay on track.
Even with these limitations, overall, Noteology proved to be a fast and effective tool for most test subjects.
The Future
Professor of Piano Pedagogy, Dr Helen Marlais, encouraged me greatly when she said Noteology was ‘A really amazing teaching tool that everybody needs. A pedagogical resource for generations to come.’
That’s my hope for Noteology. That by:
- bringing the power of memory master techniques to sight-reading
- while promoting interval-based reading
generations of piano teachers and their students might enjoy the benefits.
The ‘Treble Notes System’ is free…
If you want to try the Memory Palace technique on your students, the Noteology ‘Treble Notes System’ is free. Click here to download on the App Store or Google Play Store.
You can also find recommended interval-based resources on www.noteology.app
I’d love to hear about your own results with your students: hello@noteology.app
Noteology is our newest advertiser here on Music Matters Blog, and we are grateful for their support of the online music education community! If you are interested in finding out more about how you can promote your company, event, or product, just send us an e-mail and we will let you know about our advertising packages.
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