Sing-a-Long Method 

Sing-a-Long Method 

We are going to talk about one more method for memorizing lists of important information. It is the Sing-a-Long Method. This is by far the most fun of all the methods we have talked about so far. 

How many of you remember any jingles that you have heard on the television. Let�s test you by finishing off these phrases: 

�Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!�
�You deserve a break today, so get up an get away, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.� 
�Purina cat chow, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.� 

Were you able to finish off the T.V. jingles? If you couldn�t its probably because they are a bit dated. Sorry for showing my age. However, the principle is still the same. These short songs stick in your head and stay there for a long time. This is the same principle that the Sing-a-Long Method uses. 

The Sing-a-Long Method makes a song out of what you want to memorize. Pick a popular tune that you like and insert your words into the song. At first it will seem a little weird but after singing the tune a couple times you�ll be amazed at how well this method works. 

Here is the step-by-step method to using the Sing-a-Long Method of memorizing and recalling important information. 

Step 1 � Choose a song with which you are familiar. Make sure that you know the melody and words really well. Folk songs are great for the Sing-a-Long Method because most of us learned them when we were young and still have them fresh in our minds. 

Step 2 � Write down the words of the song you chose with triple spaces between each line. This will allow you to put your new words below the original words. Start a new line for full line of the song. 

Step 3 � Write down the notes or information that you want to memorize as bullet points on a separate sheet of paper. Pull out the important key words that you want in the song and abbreviate your notes as much as possible. 

Step 4 � Now take each line of notes and fit it into each line of the original song. It�s great if the new words rhyme but it is not essential. What�s more important is that the number of syllables on a line �somewhat� matches the number of syllables of the new line. Put small filler words in to make it sound smoother. 

Step 5 � Sing the new song and make any adjustments you need. 

The Sing-a-Long Method is easy to do and is so powerful. How hard is it to learn words to a new song? Not very hard�especially if the tune is familiar. Let�s review an example by putting the following words to the song �Jingle Bells,� a song most everyone knows. 

First let�s review the words to the song so that you can establish the tune in your mind. 

�Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, o�er the fields we go, laughing all the way, ha ha ha, bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright, oh what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun, it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh.� 

Now we are ready to put words to the new song. Let�s suppose I was taking a marketing class and our assignment was to memorize the 10 Keys to Effective Advertising. The 10 keys are as follows: 

1. Understand you audience, address its needs 
2. Set objectives 
3. Communicate with the creative people 
4. Keep it simple 
5. Grab the audiences attention 
6. Provoke an emotional response from the audience 
7. Substance, not puffery 
8. Be truthful 
9. Identify yourself 

Now that we have a picked a tune and we know what we want to memorize lets overlay new words on to the Jingle Bells melody. 

�Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, o�er the fields we go, 
Understand your audience, then address it needs, set objectives straight, 

laughing all the way, ha ha ha, bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright, 
communicate with creativity, ha ha ha, lets keep it simple now, and grab the audience, 

oh what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Oh, Jingle bells, jingle bells, 
Provoke an emotional response with the-eee audience, Oh, Sub-stance, sub-stance, 

jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh, 
sub-stance, substance not puffery, and always be truthful. 

jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun, it is to ride on a one horse open 
Identify, identify, identify yourself, these are the 10 keys to effective advertising. 

sleigh.�

By now you are probably saying to yourself that this is too much work to do to just memorize a list of information. But in reality, it is not difficult to put new words to a song. 

Here are some hints. First, don�t worry too much about making words rhyme. As along as the words semi-fit into your song, its O.K. Second, you can put a few small filler words in to make it sound better and fit smoother with the melody. Third, the better you know the words and melody to the original song the easier it is make what you�re trying to memorize fit with the original song. 

A further suggestion to make the Song Method even more powerful is once you�ve created the new song, record it multiple times on a cassette recorder and play it back to yourself while you are in your car. You�ll be astonished at the results and how easy and fun it is to use the Song Method to memorize important information. 

Let�s take another example and use the song, �For He�s a Jolly Good Fellow.� Here are the words to the song: 

�For he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow that nobody can deny. That nobody can deny, that nobody can deny. For he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow, that nobody can deny. 

We won�t go home until morning, we won�t go home until morning, we won�t go home until its morning, till daylight doth appear. Till daylight doth appear, till daylight doth appear. We won�t go home until morning, we won�t go home until morning, we won�t go until morning, till daylight doth appear.� 

Let�s assume now that we are still in the same marketing class and we are studying about the effectiveness of newsletters. The instructor tells the class to read an article titled, �Making Newsletters that Sing� and that there will be a quiz on it the next day at the beginning of the class. 

So you decide to read and summarize the article in a catchy song so that you can remember the important points for the quiz. After reading the article you have determine that the following points need to be put to memory for tomorrow�s quiz:

• The marketing newsletter is an effective tool
• It allows you to gain an emotional response from your customer without being there
• You need to set the objectives of the newsletter first
• Make the objectives limited so that it provides focus and substance
• Ensure that your newsletter is appealing to the eye
• Consider using color, art, photographs and lots of white space to make it easier to read
• Determine what the readers needs are by asking for their feedback and suggestions
• By meeting your readers needs you will gain credibility, which will strengthen its appeal
• People are very business so keep it short, simple and to the point
• Be consistent. If you say you�re going to send it bi-weekly then send it bi-weekly
• Make sure you match the newsletter to its medium whether it be the net or printed mail
• Finally, make sure that you proofread the newsletter and clean it of any mistakes 

Now let�s take all these points and put them to familiar music. Most everyone knows the song, �For He�s a Jolly Good Fellow� so lets use that song.

It goes something like this� 

�For he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow that 
The marketing newsletter, is an effective tool, the marketing newsletter, can 

nobody can deny. 
change the heart of a mule. 

That nobody can deny, that nobody can deny. 
But you must set objectives, they should be limited. 

For he�s a jolly good fellow, for he�s a jolly good fellow, 
Make sure it�s appealing, use color, art and white space,

for he�s a jolly good fellow, that nobody can deny. 
photographs are clever, and make it easy to read. 

We won�t go home until morning, we won�t go home until morning, 
What are the readers needs, ask them for input please, 

we won�t go home until morning, till daylight doth appear. Till daylight doth appear, 
gain credibility, and it will be read by many. Keep it short and simple, 

till daylight doth appear. We won�t go home until morning,
and send it out regularly. Adapt it to the net, 

we won�t go home until morning, we won�t go until morning, 
printed mail may be best, proof it before it goes out, 

till daylight doth appear.
or your customers will scream and shout." 

Sing it a few times to get the hang of it. After singing it about six or seven times close your eyes are start to sing parts of it by memory. Cheat a little bit if you have to but try to sing as much with your eyes closed as you can. 

Scripting this whole song took me only ten minutes. Is it worth ten minutes of your time to put important information to memory that you know you will be on a test? Yes! 

Eventually this song will become the same as any song that you sing off the radio. You�ll know it by heart and you will be the first one done with your quiz and have the highest score�guaranteed! 

Like the association methods that we have learned, the key to the Sing-a-Long Method of memorization is having a list of �Peg Songs� that we can access whenever we need to memorize something. 

Here is a list of ten peg songs that you can refer to often. Use this list as a starter list. Add to this list with songs of your own with which you are familiar. 

Nursery rhymes, Christmas songs and folk songs are great to use for the Sing-a-Long Method. If you have trouble remembering the songs and their words go to www.kididdles.com that has a goldmine of over 250 songs with words that you can use as Peg Songs. 

This technique is so powerful that I suggest you make a Peg Song Sheet by typing all the songs up on a computer and printing out the sheet and have it plasticized at the copy center. Put three holes in it and put it in your binder as a memorization cheat sheet.