Tipping the scales in your favour - how to demonstrate your technique

Your memory is enhanced by forgetting things first.

Wait, what?

We are all used to the idea that if you really want to remember something, you should repeat it often, and keep it fresh in your memory. However, Robert and Elizabeth Bjork, a husband and wife research team based in UCLA suggest this may not be the case.

According to their research, you need to forget a new piece of information at some level before remembering it, in order to make that memory more robust over time.

The theory being that the more a new memory fades before you go looking for it, the more it’s subsequent “retrieval strength” improves.

This might explain why I struggle to remember which day to put out my bins each week…

When it comes to the Technical Work element of your Grade 1 music exam, will you be relying on your memory to demonstrate your Scales & Arepeggios? Or perhaps you’d prefer to go with Technical Exercises or Studies to play from music? The good news is that many Trinity graded music exams give you the choice, so you can play to your strengths.

If learning scales to memory seems like too arduous a task for you or your students, then this post will highlight the alternative options available to you. Where applicable I have also linked to supporting books available from the Trinity online shop.

All Brass Syllabus 
All candidates must learn the Lip Flexibility Exercise from memory. (See back of syllabus)

Then choose from either:
Scales & Arpeggios (from memory)

OR

Technical Exercises (music may be used)

Grades 1-8 Scales & Arpeggios books available:

All Strings Syllabus