The secret to successful memorization

There is a fool proof way to make your memorization easy and secure. Are you ready for me to reveal this amazing knowledge? Get ready. Here it is...

Find what works for you.

Sorry to disappoint you. There is not one fantastic method that works for everyone. However, that does not mean that you shouldn't try all those wonderful things that people "guarantee" will work. One of the many ideas out there or a combination of ideas will work for you. I firmly believe that people that think that they can't memorize just haven't found the right strategy yet.

So if we know that our best strategy exists out there, why do we declare we can't memorize, or stick with less efficient methods?

In Clifton Ware's Adventures in Singing, he outlines 4 basic learning modes (Visual, Aural, Kinesthetic, and Analytical) and their relationships to learning to sing and to learning music. Some people fall strictly in to one category, but most of us learn using some combination of those modes. People who are primarily visual learn best by seeing things. These students benefit from teaching styles that encourage reading, imagery, note taking, etc. Aural learners need to hear things. Some of my students can't sight-read to save their lives (we're working on that), but if they hear a melody once, they have it. Kinesthetic learners need physical motion to reinforce their learning. These are also the singers that respond best when you talk about how correct singing feels. Analytical learners like to break things down, analyze component parts, understand structure.

Understanding your learning mode or modes can be a key to helping you find your best ways to memorize. But even so, I think many people are just content to do what they have always done whether it works well or not. I give my students a handout that has more than a page of memorization strategies including ones that address every kind of learning style, but most of them just want to sing the song over and over until they think they are memorized.

I will agree that maybe for a few people, this is the most efficient method of memoriztion, but I seriously doubt that that is the case for the 98% that claim it. First of all, singing it over and over is extremely boring. Secondly, it only puts the information into your brain in one way. Where's the backup? What happens if that fails?

I encourage students to memorize using several methods. This way, if one method fails, another will step up and take care of you. For example, I'm a very visual learner and when I memorize piano music, I basically see it in my head. But what do I do if I get to a spot where all I see is a blank staff? Yes, I must admit I panic a little, but then my fingers find the right notes and go on. How can they do that? They do that because they know how that particular passages feels in my hands (kinesthetic learning), my brain also understands the chordal structure of the piece (analytical learning), and finally, I know what that passage is supposed to sound like (aural learning).

I regularly work with students with "learning disabilities". I've put the term in quotes first, because I can't remember if that is the PC term right now and second, because I believe it is an inaccurate description for most of these people. If we define a disability as not being able to do things in the "normal" way, then sure, lots of people are disabled. If we instead look at it as functioning in a different, but completely valid way I think the concept of disability melts away. Feel free to correct me if you have more education in this area or experience a "disability" yourself. My point here is that I believe that everyone can learn, but we learn at different paces and in different methods. Sometimes the pace and methods are extreme, but we are all progressing and moving forward. In my studio, a disability is not an excuse to not try, but a challenge for both the singer and teacher to find something that works and not become discouraged if the pace is slow.

That was a long introduction to the real topic of this post--my discovery of my best memorization strategy. Actually, this is the core of my strategy, but it is supplemented and reinforced with other methods as well.

I'm currently putting together a recital and as I've worked, I've discovered that I'm learning and memorizing the music so much quicker than I did when I was much younger and in school. It's been a pleasant surprise. Shouldn't young minds learn faster? Shouldn't the fuzzy thinking often associated with my fibromyalgia get in the way? How can I do this? I can do it, because I've found the approach that works for me at this point in my life. Here it is...

I learn best when I have a translation of the song before I even start to learn notes. My word-by-word translation, my IPA transcription, and my music sit side by side as I work. I play a phrase or two of the music several times, thinking the words as I play. Then I do lip buzz (AKA lip trill) on the pitches as I think the words. When the melody is secure without the piano, I sing that section. Sometimes I start with just one vowel and sometimes I use the words. If I'm having trouble lining things up, I definitely work that section on a single vowel. As I work on the technical and interpretive aspects of the phrase, I do not look at the music. If I'm struggling with a few notes of the melody, I play the accompaniment and see how the melody fits into the harmonic and rhythmic structure of the piano part. When I feel like I have a firm grasp on the notes, rhythms, words, technique and interpretation of that section, I move on to another.

Re-reading that last paragraph, it seems like quite a laborious process, but for me, it is quite enjoyable and has actually dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes me to learn and memorize a song. I'm nearly 40 and discovering new things about how I learn. I love it! Maybe it took me a little longer than it takes other people, but that's OK. It's not about how fast you progress. It's about moving forward.

So how do you learn and memorize? Please share.