The Link Between Music and Memory
Songs have been used to aid in memorizing and retain information for centuries. Case in point School House Rock. School House Rock is a collection of educational cartoons paired with songs about a wide variety of subjects including math, science, and language arts. These songs are clever and fun ways to introduce multiple subjects to people, but why is pairing information with music so effective?
The human brain is designed to quickly notice patterns. this is useful for predicting what is likely going to occur next. When we pair information to music, for example by way of chanting or singing, it can be a great assistance when it comes to recalling things. Research tells us that our minds have an easier time committing things to memory if they are linked to something you already are familiar with. That’s why you may find it useful to create a parody of a song you already know, altering the lyrics to the subject you are trying to remember. The tune of the song and replaying it in your mind may be enough to call forth the memory.
Anxiety can impair a person’s ability to recall information even if they are very familiar with it. Having a song may be an effective method of jarring the memory because it puts the mind in a familiar situation and provides a starting point from which to center their thoughts.
Many of us learned the alphabets by way of a song that happens to have the same tune as another popular song by the name of “twinkle, twinkle little star. Many adults still hum the tune to help them recite the alphabet. This demonstrates just how effective music can be when it comes to memory and recall. All in all, we each have our own techniques that help us recall information.