Lots of practice and then some more. Take your time going through the process of learning the notes. Consistently repeated effort makes a big difference.
Not a (good) piano player but I learned how to read sheet music in choir and it has been easily applied to instruments I can play well.
Look at score. Find key. Press key. Repeat a bajillion times until it becomes too bothersome to slow down to look at your hands.
I never did lol. I play by ear to this day. It does make it difficult to play songs on the fly, especially when on stints as a session musician where I have to learn an entire set list of songs quickly. But for my own original work, it hasn’t really hindered me.
Practice
I feel like a dumb.
From the sounds of it, most of us never learned how to read music like that, so I guess you’re in good company!
I don’t remember any offhand, by there are some sight reading training apps for your phone.
Just doing it over and over again. I memorise which ledger line is for which note now - and same applies for notes way above or below the ledger - and that’s all there really is to it. When you’re sight reading I feel it helps you to pace yourself as well.
It helps to work incrementally. Assuming you’re a beginner, start with simple single voice (one-handed) exercises and melodies. From there you gradually build in complexity as you learn the various note rhythmic values, and soon you’ll be ready for two-voice (both hands).
Any decent piano method book will use an approach like this. Carve out a minimum of 15 minutes a day of practice. More if you’re motivated and have the focus for it. Practice the exercises to mastery before moving to the next - that is to say, don’t just practice it until you get it right, practice it until you can’t get it wrong.
I started to get better at sight reading the more I did scales and intervals and such. But I’m not sure that’s a universal thing and I never got very good. Comes down to practice.
I read the music through first, slowly, imagining pressing the notes. It’s like having a mental practice or two. It doesn’t work unless I genuinely imagine my fingers moving.
Over years and years I got very good at sight reading the styles of music I play a lot, but I still find it hard to sight read music that’s in a different style.
I played piano for years as a kid, but never learned how to read music.
I just couldn’t.
When we were working on a new song, I would have the teacher play it for me so I knew what it was supposed to sound like, and through practice, my fingers memorized the motions. If I hit the wrong key while practicing, I would every good boy does fine to figure out what key it was supposed to be, and do it again. Once I learned the song, I could play it without looking at the music at all.
I didn’t
When I learned playing as a kid I never got fast enough to play while I’m reading. I’d just play the song bit by bit until I had it memorised.
