Isn’t it odd how once you listen to a song a few times, you can instantly catch onto the tune and lyrics of it? Are you wondering why the same thing doesn’t happen while studying? Well, you’re definitely not alone. Trying to memorize pages and pages of information but immediately forgetting it can be a hefty struggle. Fortunately, music can be a straightforward fix to this messy problem.
The Art of Music with the Brain
When thinking of music, most people remember the basic tune, rhythm, and lyrics. Well, these important aspects of music can lead to the improvement in memorizing things instantly. The rhythm of a song makes it effortless to memorization. The music patterns are like puzzle pieces, which your brain constantly looks for. These sound segments get stuck in our brains, and the tune is similar to a repeating loop. The repetitions and rhythmic patterns of music make it much simpler to memorize than a text with no meaning or background. We can use the same techniques to memorize long notes and improve our study habits.
The Song Method
The song method is something we use day to day with music. While applying this method to essays, speeches, presentations, and other long texts, you can effortlessly memorize new material. The song method has five easy steps:
- Have the text, which can be a speech, notes, or a short summary of something, in front of you and read it a few times. Record it once in the process. This will be called Audio 1
- Listen to Audio 1 and read the text simultaneously. Do this step a couple of times. Put the text away and record yourself trying to recall the text. This will be called Audio 2. It’s fine if you cannot recall all the words, this will be helpful for further steps
- Listen to Audio 2 and fill in the blanks that you missed before (this is called active recall). Practice with this audio before going to sleep or when you are sleepy (there are certain benefits for this).
- After much practice, record yourself again. This will be called Audio 3. Use this audio to see where you are struggling.
- Repeat this process until you have it completely memorized.
Active Recall: Filling in the Blanks
Filling in empty spaces using active recall is a technique that most of us use while studying. This technique is also used by teachers in worksheets, quizzes, and similar materials. The purpose of filling in the blanks is to develop questions based on a topic you wish to learn, then repeatedly test yourself on those questions. This forces your brain to remember the information actively, instead of just reading and studying it.
Filling in the blanks allows your brain to remember the information without using hints, improving long-term memory. The song method promotes this technique in a unique and simple manner. The missed blanks are substituted through the process of active recall. Using this method is more practical when your brain is actively engaged.
Neuron Activation
Usually, when you are tired or sleepy, your brain activates the muscle memory that makes it easier to memorize things. When listening to something before you sleep, the sound segment gets stuck in your head. These are called “earworms” and many neurologists have found that these “earworms” still occupy the person’s mind even after their normal 8 hours of sleep. This can actually be an advantage for the students who use the song method. The long text and audio will be stuck in their head, making it easier for them to recall and memorize it.
tl;dr
Normally, memorizing a song is much easier than memorizing our notes. We tend to just read what is written on our pages and pages of notes, causing us to not actually understand and memorize it thoroughly. This can be a pain for many of us, but just like how we can easily memorize any song, we can do the same with texts as well. With the help of turning our notes, essays, speeches, presentations, and long texts into a song, we can memorize them in a faster manner!