Once-a-Week Piano Lessons & The Forgetting Curve
American Music Teacher published an incredible article in their February/March issue about the problems of once-a-week lessons, and it’s sent me on a piano-teaching-revamp quest!
The once-weekly piano lesson format has been the SOP for a while, mostly as a byproduct of our modern day, jam-packed schedules. But, meeting once a week doesn’t help students retain what we studied the week before.
Psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus proposed the concept of the forgetting curve, noting that we actually lose up to 80% of the material we learn after one day, and forget it almost entirely after one week.
I see this a lot in the piano studio when we sit down to review we did or learnt the week before. Often, students say they don’t know or don’t remember. I feel that! I’ve also experienced the forgetting curve as a student. Now, as a teacher, it’s so important to me that students are able to get the most out of their piano studies, and remedying the forgetting curve has got me thinking.
The AMT article, written by Fisk University’s assistant professor of piano Brendan Jacklin, outlines a few modifications we can make as piano teachers to help mitigate the problem of once-a-week lessons and the forgetting curve. I loved reading through all the possibilities and immediately started thinking about which ones would be the best fit for Borderland Music Studio’s online piano lesson structure.
I was so happy to see that Jacklin included Review Recordings as a solution!
In the studio, we already offer Video Feedback as a makeup option so that students can still receive a check-in on their music whenever they need to miss a week’s lesson. But, what if we included mid-week checkups as a built-in part of our piano lesson structure?
Instead of having a second piano lesson throughout the week, students could simply upload a video to Practice Space of what they’ve been practicing so far. They could even include questions about theory homework or something in the music they’re unsure of. Then, I’d send over feedback!
I love this option because it works well for busy schedules: the videos can be sent midweek on the student’s own time, and I can send feedback in time before their next piano class. It’s great for solidifying concepts we’re studying in our lesson & theory books, and especially great for recital & competition prep. It’s perfect for piano students of all ages and skills, too!
Jacklin also includes Peer Learning, which he mentions would suit more experienced students better. I immediately thought that this would work so well for high school pianists & adult piano learners, too. Peer review sessions would create the space for students to meet together, hear each other’s pieces, and coach each other.
In college, my friends and I would informally meet up multiple times a week to talk about our music, show each other parts of the songs that were giving us trouble, and help each other to problem solve or understand the theory better. Those low-stakes, zero-pressure meetups had a huge impact on shaping our musical developments. I’d love to see that artistic camaraderie shape my student’s journeys, too.
For now, I’ll be working behind the scenes to restructure my teaching model, the studio’s piano lesson structure, and how my students can better thrive in the days between their piano lessons. Can’t wait to share the updates with you!
As a piano student or pianist parent, here are some tips to help mitigate the forgetting curve:
- practicing the same day as your lesson (before & after class!)
- reviewing pieces & music theory worksheets in the car (great for long drives!)
- starting a conversation about what you/your child is learning (ask for details!)
—
Article Reference:
Jacklin, Brendan. “The Problems of Once-A-Week Lessons: The Forgetting Curve, The Spacing Effect, and More Efficient Ways of Learning”. American Music Teacher, February/March 2026, pp.22-26.