There's a bit of a counterpoint to that: spaced/distributed learning contributes to long term memory encoding. Revisit something a week or two later and a year down the line you'll remember it more than if you did it the next day.

So depends on your goals a bit. That said, if you can, don't leave stuff last minute because stress is definitely not good for memory if nothing else.

In the context of school structured learning, that's often baked-in. Concepts are either continually expanded on, or re-visited throughout the course.

Which I guess leads to a corollary suggestion: If you want to learn something and have the means... Take a Course! One that's well-made is structured to have reinforcing points, and scheduled by someone who knows the material, so can plan the lessons to be cohesive and additive in a way that a newbie wouldn't necessarily think to do.

i dont know if this is what they intended to say, but ive found that when I exclusively practice with sheet music then look away, I'll completely blank. my brain relies on the constant reminder of what comes next. this might be okay if you plan on playing in an orchestra where you'll always have your sheet music or chart available (which even then.... what happens if theres an issue with a page turn? or the ipad doesn't work?). it DOES NOT work whatsoever if you plan on playing music in any other setting where you won't be able to stare at your music. its as if recalling the music and thinking deeply about it and its structure is an entirely unique sense you develop, and ive found that its mutually exclusive with keeping your eyes on the page.

also, keeping your eyes on the page makes it much harder to improvise, if thats your goal. when youre playing something and it deviates from what's on the page it can be very very disorienting.
i might add to this comment as I dwell on it, this is something i care a lot about

i play keys, vocals, upright bass, bass guitar, viola, and guitar for context. played in the context of organized orchestras to bedroom bands to solo performances

ive found this actually just exhausts me to the point that I don't end up learning anything and just become a tad upset. i respond far better to brute repetition with minimal other busy work, like pre-made flash cards or studying with someone else. I also like rereading articles/study materials until I can imperfectly recite them comfortably :)

i know this wasn't necessarily an invitation to anecdotes but i just wanted to make it known that this is NOT universal

Kegels. You can master rhythm, be better at sex, and prevent incontinence as you age. Best of all worlds.

This is great advice, thanks!

Thanks. :)

I have Ehlers Danlos, which is mostly a curse, but has the benefit of looking really young.

‘Edited to add’

In all seriousness, this could actually help. Smell and taste are known to be strong memory triggers.

I wonder if having a certain flavoured/scented lozenge whilst studying a topic (one you don’t normally use), and then using it during a test, would maybe help with recall?

I’ve never heard of a study in this, but it could be interesting to see if it helps at all?

It's just tough for me not to read it as "estimated time of arrival", and we already used "edit:" for this.

I guess I'm just like those people who couldn't get over "MTG" meaning anything but Magic: The Gathering

Hey that's a great perspective, thanks for sharing. Do you ever regret your reliance on keeping your eyes on the sheet, or wish you could improvise better for example? At what point in your learning did this become an issue for you or people you know?

We're probably approaching this from very different skill perspectives. I think your concerns, though clearly valid, only apply beyond a certain level of mastery. The question I was originally replying to was asking for ways to engage other senses while learning piano, so I assumed perhaps incorrectly that they are not past that point yet. I am a terrible piano player, but I tutor intro to music/piano, so I was giving the tips I use on my tutees. If you still struggle to read music, then I firmly hold that you should always read it while playing, but I will defer to others on tips for people beyond grasping the basics.

agreed, when people are FIRST learning to read sheet music it can be helpful to keep your eyes on the page and learn to associate certain notes on the page with certain finger/hand positions. yes, I regret my reliance on sheet music earlier because now my ear is waaayy behind. i kind of see it like understanding a piece of writing. if someone asks you what the article is about and you have to reference the article directly to answer it then I wouldn't consider that to be truly understanding the article. same with music, if you get asked to play something and you have to read straight off the page then I don't think you "know" the music. you just know how to play it. for some, thats all they need.

if someone is really just looking to be given music and made to play it according to the page then learning to read and play will be all they need. if they want to reach that next level though, like writing music, improvising, playing in a band, playing without your music, being a more dynamic performer, etc. they should learn to know the music.

i appreciate you pointing out the thing about mastery. i dont know that its that I'm "more experienced" though. i think we just have different goals and different instructors. my instructors were always people who were in their 20s who had experience in rock and jazz. i suppose I'm just highlighting the limitations between classical training and being trained with rock and jazz in mind. my goal (and I'd assume the goals of most of your students, if I'm right to assume theyre on the younger end) has always been to be an independent jack of all trades who is capable of writing, performing with other people in an informal environment, and improvising. i think the style of learning ive been describing can be more conducive to that. i would ALSO ALSO argue that it is more difficult and "risky" to teach in that way. you need a deep, practiced understanding of music theory, of your instrument, of the students life and willingness to learn, etc. its far more resource intensive.

ive been writing about this far too long lol I'm gonna cut it off here. i appreciate your perspective, ive admittedly never had a career of teaching people about music, but I have definitely explained things casually to friends and other musicians. i think it would help me to pick up that experience by tutoring on the side at some point.

Sounds like a good excuse to get some good food.

Hey player, don't play the game. You make the game.

"Learn" is too vague. A good example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37440162/

Would love to see references for this post. 😉

rewriting notes based on lecture recordings and readings were the most effective way I learned but boy it is time consuming and hard to keep up.

This is really weird and random but when I need to learn/revise something for an exam for example, loading up a game of Tetris and listening to audio of whatever I must revise is strangely effective. I can just completely clock out playing Tetris until I've finished listening, and I remain pretty engaged so what I'm listening to goes in better and doesn't bore me to death