Music and Memory

The music provides clues or reminders that assist our recall.

Many studies have demonstrated that music enhances the memory of Alzheimer`s and dementia patients.

You remember words you've spoken better than words you've only read or heard. so read outloud to yourself.
From personal experience i know my concentration is much better if i read out loud.

Perhaps your short term memory is not that good and your long term is quite good? Or perhaps there are reasons/motivation for you to recall the old songs due to other associations with the songs?

{edit}: Where did spell checker go?

dadpad, Thanks for the suggestion. Reading out loud is not really an option for me. However, I was more amazed that I could remember words to a TV show theme song I haven't heard in decades than I was that I couldn't remember a recent sentence.

Ragman, There's really nothing wrong with my short-term memory. As I said to dadpad, it was more the surprise at the long-term memory. Spell-check? Is there spell-check here? I've never used spell-check. Maybe I should give it a try.

definitely connected to some audio aspect for me, when i was learning lines for a school play, i'd make recordings of the cue lines and my lines and have no trouble remembering them after listening to the playback a few times

Roberta, it has to do with divergent thinking. Creative folks, such as you, often get tangled up in memory because of it. I'm the same way. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with short term memory.

Because the music that went with those words more deeply (and more thoroughly) embedded those memory engrams. Studies have shown a clear correlation to music and memory; wherein those memories with a musical component are much more likely to be retained and more easily recalled through the musical component.


It seems to be the way music activates pathways in the prefrontal cortex (rather than just knowledge centers (words alone)). Add an emotional reaction to that music and kabam: The association is so much the stronger, thus the memory is active in more portions of the brain.

At least that's how I understand it. There are a few interesting links to this connection here and here.

Thanks

It's a spell of recalling pasts ~

Thanks for the links, Khethil, and the suggestions from all.

I'm wondering about remembering the words. Something that simple.

What got me started thinking about this was another thread about old and forgotten TV shows. Someone mentioned the name of a show, and I remembered the entire theme song--to a show I hadn't seen in decades and that had no particular meaning to me. Granted, the name of the show triggered the memory, but why do I remember the words to a meaningless song?

I wonder if this varies with visual learners versus auditory learners. I think I've always been swifter with visual learning..

I'm amazed, though, to see you folks saying reading out loud, even taping the read-out loud bits help with learning. NOW you tell me!!!!

Thanks, Khethil..



Looking back on my reading of novels, I'm sometimes attracted to writing with - ah - the words sounding good together; even better if the words have resonance in meaning. On the other hand, if a writer is all about poetics, in love with his or her own voice, I can shut right off to the show off. Don't blather me with rosebuds...

Some of my signature lines on a2k over the years have been quotes re the sound of words and the pictures they make, though I've somewhat cut that out lately.
I can't just recite those old signatures, but I'd recognize them.

I take it as obvious that poetry relates to music. Is there a basis for that opinion of mine, besides rhythm.. I think so, but it's just apprehension (not in the fear sense) on my part.

osso, When I had to memorize passages of poetry for lit class, I always did it out loud. Over and over again. Maybe I shoulda added a tune. I shoulda been singing the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.

But, honey (or sweetie as an a2k friend of ours would say), you can't carry a tune! (Which is true of me.) Talk about embarrassing, me the only one singing the funeral mass. I wonder if the organ got louder..

Snort. One of the first bits I memorized was The quality of mercy is not strained (and so on).

Or was it, twice praised?

Or, was it, "The quality of mercy is not earned!"

I did memorize out loud too.
But I didn't apply that to other matters of learning.

remember learning your times tables in primary school?
That sing song rythym. once 5 is 5, 2 5's are ten. 3 5's are 15.....

Remember this one, dadpad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVp8oJ2N_1M

Incidentally, Kangaroo Court is an American expression

Why can I remember the lyrics to a song I haven't heard in fifty years, but I can't remember a sentence I read ten minutes ago?

Why could I remember the words to a song quickly, but struggled mightily to memorize a poem?

What is it about music that eases the way?>>

Probably because music brings back emotional memories.

I too relate with old music, wake up in the morning humming it, brush my teeth and eat in tempo, but the most interesting of all is friends can mention a topic and I can always relate it with the words of an old song.

"The truth of things will not comply with our conceits, and interests. Our belief or disbelief of a thing does not alter the nature of things” Tillotson