I have had a lot of music to memorize in the past week and here’s how I’ve done it. The basic concept–teaching information to someone by making them say it, see it, read it, write it, hear it, do it–is called differential teaching. The specific suggestion to write out my parts was given by Maestro Tim Leon. Here is how I have been learning the words to my music lately:
- hear it (I bought copies of all of my music off of Amazon)
- read it (Out of my score the first time, then once it is accurately copied into my notebook I read the line I copied as I write the next line for the first three lines. Then put my hand over previous lines to force myself to write them from memory.)
- write it (In my little conference notebook–I fill a page per line I’m trying to memorize)
- say it (About half-way down the page I start reading what I am writing out loud)
- sing it (In the last quarter of the page I start singing the line and then saying it if I am missing syllables while singing)
- hear it (Once I am finished with the page, I listen through the line, to hear how the another singer did performed it)
- sing it (Now I sing it from memory)
I have found this technique anchors the words in my head faster than just reading or writing or listening or repeating. However I may have to redo bits of lines if I get them wrong. Now, to do this for Suor Angelica and Pagliacci Chorus bits!
Inspirational Quote:
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away. – Philip K. Dick
