Submitted by Caryn Mears, Kennewick, Washington

Idea posted February 13, 2012

The following is a list of different tips and techniques for helping students to learn songs with many lyrics:

  1. Put the words on an overhead projector, then ask the kids which words you can cross out.
  2. As students learn the words, make sure that they can see if any of the words repeat, so they can physically see that the song is not as long as it looks.
  3. Sprinkle dots over the top of the words on an overhead projector, little by little, so they can't rely on the words.
  4. Play a freeze game, where you stop the music and see who knows the next phrase. Kids sing the words as they meander around the room, and when you stop the song, they raise their hand and tell you the next word or phrase.
  5. Divide the song into smaller solo parts. Have four people cover one verse and another four people cover another verse. This will add a lot more variety to your long song.
  6. Add sign language or movement to parts of the song. (When kids create the movements, it helps them remember it better.)
  7. Create a contest between rows of boys and girls.
  8. Offer to "pay" them for memorizing the song first among the other classes. I use licorice to "pay" them!