Adult student challenges: Oh, my Lord, Theory!

[bernadette60614]

I've always been able to play reasonably well and sight read readily...and I take no credit for that.  It just happens.  It would be like taking credit for my height.

My glorious teacher is taking me back to basics (down to posture, hand mechanics, counting) and surprisingly her head has not exploded in frustration, since I seem to want to naturally slip into old (bad) habits.

But, my big challenge: Theory.  I decided that I wanted to take the ABRSM theory exams (and be advised, this obsesses me so I'm not going to change), but I seem to have lost the ability to retain much new information.  I can read notes just fine in a piece of music, but ask me to identify notes in isolation and I have to go through All Cows Eat Grass.

This may be more of a question for an educator than for other students, but what are good ways for me to build that "memory muscle"?

Thank you everyone, and have a great week of practice.

[themeandvariation]

Flash cards, 5 minutes each day for 3 weeks.  Time yourself (in seconds) how long it takes to run through them all, and monitor that day to day. 
You will notice very fast improvement- for the minimal time expenditure.

[bernadette60614]

Is there a set your recommend?

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Is there a set your recommend?

I have my students make their own

[themeandvariation]

Ditto, RF.
Index cards are about the right size.  Start with 2 octaves below middle C - to 2 octave above middle C.. Then after a week, add a few cards extending the range, about every few days - until it expands to 4 lines below bass staff (F) and 4 lines above treble staff (G)

[stevieresh]

Hi  Bernadette

I agree with the flash card responses and as others have said - doing a bit every day is good.

If you are a fan of using an app on your phone then i really recommend this (It's free if you use a [web browser or you can pay / download on iphone:
https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/keyboard-reverse (or this one but i prefer the latter https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/note)

Be sure to look at the settings - You can select the note range you want to learn, what staff, configure whether to include sharps / flats, timed challenge mode etc. It's very simple but there isn't any other app that i've found that does it as good.