ABOUT THE MICRO SESSIONS
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15 MINUTES A DAY
5 SESSIONS PER WEEK
4 WEEKS
The daily session format has lead to improvements seemingly without having to do much extra work!
What do I practice?
How do I practice?
How do I wade through Youtube's endless choices?
Where do I find time to practice?
These are the common problems that beset the contemporary guitarist. The Micro Sessions are the solution to these problems. Across a one month period, participants attend a live (or delayed live broadcast), online practice session with an expert teacher/ industry pro. This occurs on a daily basis (Monday - Friday) for a fifteen minute period between from 7:15 - 7:30 AM (MELBOURNE TIME). Under the guidance of the teacher, the group will be introduced to a highly targeted area of study which will be the month’s focus.​
Embedded deeply within the framework of the Micro Sessions are extensively researched learning strategies that work. Supported by decades of scientific evidence, these include: Spaced Repetition, Interleaved Practice, Retrieval Practice and Variation. By spacing, switching and varying tasks, we intentionally create interference and memory lapse. Although learning feels effortful, working harder to retrieve concepts results in a better mastery, longer retention and more versatility.
THE SCIENCE
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INTERLEAVING
Instead of dedicating oneself to one topic in a block, interleaved practice alternates between topics in a single session.
Interleaving helps improve the brain’s ability to differentiate between concepts, increases adaptability and sharpens our focus. Playing music demands a raft of skills readily at hand: time keeping, comping, improvising and listening. Focusing on several areas at a time effectively sets us up for the realistic demands of any musical environment.
SPACED REPETITION
The prevailing view amongst musicians is that the most effective way to learn is through massed or blocked practice—the intensive, focused practice of one topic followed by the next. Surprisingly, this commonly favoured approach ranks as the least productive amongst the various learning strategies. The spacing or distributed practice effect—was first documented over 100 years ago and states that memory is TWICE (!) as effective when learning is distributed over a period rather than in one sitting.
RETRIEVAL PRACTICE
Retrieval practice is a learning strategy that involves actively recalling information from memory rather than simply reviewing it passively. It has been demonstrated in over 200 studies from over a century of research and like spaced repetition and interleaving, is regarded as one of the most robust findings in the psychology of learning.
"Musicians should practice regularly for shorter periods (distributed practice) rather than less regularly for longer periods (massed practice)."
Learning Strategies for Musical Success, Michael Griffin
"Research shows unequivocally that mastery and long-term retention are much better if you interleave practice than if you mass it.”
Make it Stick,
Brown, Roediger III,
McDaniel
"Restricting, limiting and inhibiting the amount of input actually makes us bigger thinkers, strengthens the brain's function and makes us more innovative."
Dr Sandra Chapman, Center for Brain Health, University of Texas, Dallas
THE BACK STORY
Ideas rarely manifest in straight lines.
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They often represent various strands that meaningfully come together. Things of interest butting up against happenstance. I have often reflected on parallels between music tuition and fitness training: drills, reps and routines. I recall watching wide-eyed, Frank Gambale’s Chop Builder video (think 80's shred meeting Jane Fonda aerobic workout) which featured Frank and his two side-kicks tearing it up in leather and lycra. I have admired a range of classes, from yoga to acqua-aerobics, keenly observing the way in which these are taught and presented.
The idea of practicing as a group has been kicking around for about a decade. A place where players convene under the guidance of an expert. The benefits: numerous: motivation, guidance, inspiration, community-building and enjoyment. Invariably the idea was thwarted due to logistics - sourcing a suitable venue with appropriate equipment, commuting time, costs etc…
Enter COVID 19.
Prior to 2020, Melbourne Guitar Lab sessions were exclusively conducted face to face. COVID of course put an end to this aspect, but, opened up some unforeseen opportunities. Suddenly, it was possible to access incredible players from around the globe: Scott Henderson, Oz Noy, Brett Garsed, James Muller and Michael Dolce. ​​
I​n one of Melbourne’s interminable lockdowns of 2020, I attended an online, morning meditation course. Whilst enjoyable, I was taken, not by the mediation, but the realisation that it was through the online platform, that my long - held vision of guitar practice class could be become a reality. A light bulb moment! Previous stumbling blocks were easily overcome and classes could be accessed by participants in the comfort and convenience of their own home. The Micro Practice Sessions had arrived.
The advent of the sessions has also coincided with my own journey of reconnecting with the electric guitar, after a twenty-year love affair with the acoustic. In doing so, I have delved deeply into new learning strategies and techniques that have helped to fast-track my own progress. These have become the foundation of the Micro Practice Sessions.
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TESTIMONIALS
I’ve really been enjoying these sessions and they’ve been doing wonders for my playing. I like to think it’s not a coincidence that I’ve been getting more gigs than ever since starting these sessions.
"If I could recommend only one platform for a guitarist to hone their skills, this would be it."
The daily session format has lead to improvements seemingly without having to do much extra work!
Straight to the point so clear and concise. Hard to believe you can pack in so much info in 15 minutes.
A great pace for learning. Fantastic resources and clarity in instruction. Backing tracks are fabulous and time to improvise during sessions.
Practical and interesting lessons. Inspiring playing and supportive teaching. Great resources, backing tracks and well organised.
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Such an excellent way to start the day, thinking about music and studying one topic in depth. I’d highly recommend.
…gold star material.
Loving the sessions, it's like opening a magic box in my vintage jazz brain!
After the session is up I just want to keep playing, and I’ve been on the guitar more than usual.”
EXAMPLE MICRO SESSION
Digital deluge is the overwhelming feeling that one is drowning in digital information. Pre-eminent cognitive neuroscientist the Dr. Sandra Chapman says we are exposed to 20,000 times more information than people twenty years ago. The result is anxiety, stress and information overload. Her studies have revealed that innovation requires a narrowing of our focus.
The Micro Practice Sessions represent the antithesis to the digital deluge and distraction. The unique format targets highly specific areas, ensuring that across a month, concepts have a genuine opportunity of becoming solidified.
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The diagram on the left outlines a typical breakdown of a Micro Session with a focus on one specific concept - let's use the maj7b5 chord as our example.
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The seemingly opposing elements of interleaving (alternating between activities) and narrowing our focus are reconciled through the use of variation. Exploring the maj7b5 chord harmonically, melodically, rhythmically, transposing keys, alternating registers and tempos, improves our ability to transfer the learning from one situation and apply it successfully to another. Variation also conveniently helps to delineate areas that can then be interleaved. e.g. chords vs single lines.
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While the nominated time on each area appears minimal, the magic happens over the course of weeks, when the spacing effect kicks in. Also the low stakes revision testing encourages regular retrieval of information.