Music for Memory

I don’t know if I agree that “We don’t need no education”, but I certainly think we could improve on the current way it’s being done.  I by no means intend to berate our education system, regardless of how much it is in need of improving. But, I would like to make a suggestion.  One reason I make this suggestion is because after 10 years, I still remember the lyrics to Danny Boy and Mustang Sally. I even still remember the lyrics to La Bamba, which obvious enough to anyone who knows the song isn’t even in English. The point being that I can hardly recall ever hearing these songs since I learned them in 6^th grade music class, but I still remember them word for word.  Some people just have a knack for remembering lyrics, but I think it goes well beyond that.

I have never studied German, but one of my favorite bands of all time is a German band, at least 90% of their songs being sung in German. I would memorize the lyrics in German, and I would look up their English translation out of interest of what I was listening too. It got to a point where I’d be singing along in German, and thinking of the English translation in the back of my mind. On my recent travels to Germany I could recall lyrics I had heard and was able to get through basic communication speaking German even though I never actually studied the language. It reminds me how the artist Shakira claims that she learned English by reading English poetry and listening to music with English lyrics. This realization got me thinking about how powerful music is in relation to memory, and how vital memory is to learning.

I recently read a paper by a Stephen Krashen that stated how music is able to get through what he called the ‘Affective Filter’. He further goes on to explain that music appeals to emotional and social experiences, and is able to penetrate deeper into the mind, effectively implanting it deeper into the mind and memory. Between mnemonics and music, we have two strong effective ways to make a better impression into memory. I personally still remember how to read music scales, the great lakes, and the 5 main personality traits because of Mnemonics.

Obviously this technique doesn’t work for everything, but it obviously does work for plenty of things. Im sure as you read this you may be remembering a few mnemonics you had learned to get you through that test many years ago.

It would be nice to see this approach applied to more lessons taught in classrooms, especially the more boring lessons. I can still recall the preamble to the constitution because I sang it nearly every day, and at the time it was a fun thing to do. Even if it doesn’t last forever, or isn’t 100% successful, students will still enjoy it more. A change in attitude that gets a student more excited about a class adds to the motivation and willingness of that student to actually open up, listen, and involve themselves instead of sitting there with their head on their hands waiting for the clock to signal the end of the class.

Even if this tactic doesn’t prove to be the most fruitful, the arts are still neglected far too much as an important part of the curriculum, at least in most of America, and it wouldn’t hurt to open up students creativity, but that’s another discussion entirely. So if you’re in a position to influence a course plan that will be taught to students, or you’re trying to teach your kids something new, think about busting out the guitar, throwing on an album, or writing your own song, and watch as the kids involvement, memory, and enjoyment increases.