Several years ago, I had an adult student who was a great jazz player. She felt that all of her issues in playing music stemmed from not understanding the circle of fifths. She brought in the diagram and explained it to me perfectly. I told her it seemed like she already understood the information well. But she insisted that I help her apply it within the context of a performance or piece, rather than just in a theoretical sense—and especially not limiting it to key signatures.
It took me some time to understand exactly what she was looking for, but I’m glad she was so persistent. The series of exercises we worked through—and which I later refined—has become a cornerstone of my teaching for all students from intermediate level and up. These exercises aid with learning and memorizing large amounts of repertoire (in any genre), improvisation, composing, ear training, and reading… just to name a few benefits.
Here’s the first step: