Nina Wildflower
There is a crack in everything. It's how the light gets in. I had to learn 3 Leonard Cohen songs for an event. #EverybodyKnows A good chance to try out a fashionable revision technique - “spaced practice” and “interleaving”.🧵
Jan 18 at 10:29pmWeb
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
Ok, how could this work? I had free choice of Leonard Cohen songs. I've performed this one before. It suits me, and my voice. Leonard Cohen has a very distinctive style. But I do have a secret life. In My Secret Life (Leonard Cohen cover)
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
“Spaced practice and interleaving” can be described as “mixing it up boosts learning”. Instead of systematically mastering one task / topic at a time (blocking), it's thought that short bursts & mixing tasks leads to better learning (interleaving).
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
So instead of systematically learning one song at a time, I should mix things up. But first I needed to choose what I would learn. I considered several songs - Anthem, Bird On A Wire, Everybody Knows & First We Take Manhattan. #EverybodyKnows youtube.com/shorts/-ySev...

Heaven In A Wildflower - Every...
Heaven In A Wildflower - Everybody Knows That We're Not Over (original)

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Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
Several other performers would do much better versions of “Everybody Knows” than me. We had 4, in total! Emotions do matter when it comes to learning! If you don't know Leonard Cohen, “Everybody Knows” might resonate with you. #EverybodyKnows bsky.app/profile/drse...

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Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
Do you think “Everybody Knows” what's happening, and is just ignoring it? Are there pressures to “not know”? Leonard Cohen took up smoking again at the age of 80. Smoking is a good model for our current situation. #EverybodyKnows
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
I wanted to reassure other performers that “If we have 15 versions of “Hallelujah, that's fine!" Not everyone knows Leonard Cohen well. A younger performer assumed Jeff Buckley wrote this song. With learning, people start from different points. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
Some things are harder to learn than others. Leonard Cohen is not as easy to cover as you might hope. Hallelujah might be played in 12/8, 6/8, or 3/4. It's not in the familiar 4/4 that most of my songs are. I was struggling to sustain this, and sing. So I changed my approach.
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
I pre-recorded my guitar and used it as a backing track for the “final performance”. Can you spot what else I've done here? There are LOTS of ways to make learning easier. #EverybodyKnows Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
For my final song, I chose “The Future”. The original relies on Leonard Cohen’s delivery, and an interesting backing band / backing vocals, which I wouldn't have. So I changed it. There are lots of ways to learn. #EverybodyKnows The Future (Leonard Cohen cover)
Show threadNina WildflowerJan 18
When it comes to learning, many things matter much more than how it is scheduled. #EverybodyKnows Not least, motivation. Why did I have to learn 3 Leonard Cohen songs? If you teach, you need to think about WHY students are learning, and how to make them want to learn.