Memorization

Do you have trouble getting pieces memorized? Try these techniques:

Write the text many times. After the first time, do not look at the book until you’ve finished the song text as well as you can. Check it, then put it away while you try again. By the time your arm starts to fall off, you will know the words pretty well.
Use imagery to create a picture for each phrase. If the visual scene leads from one thing to another, like a movie, it should be helpful in keeping your place in the story. This can be good for your acting, too.
Use odd imagery that progresses from one thing to another so that it brings up specific words. Something like four (fore) to golf ball, to world. Only you can decide what association will bring the correct word to mind.
Read the text out loud and then think it through while doing some other task that doesn’t involve a lot of thought. If you sing through the song while washing dishes, you can’t look at the book every time a word escapes you, so you have to think about it and come up with the word. Go back and check it afterward if you aren’t certain, and next time that word should come more easily.
Stage the piece. When acting in a play the words are easier to remember because the memory is linked to a movement and the other person in the conversation. If you work out some moves that suit the text, you will remember it better, even when not doing those gestures or steps.
Know the song as well as possible. This includes background research, translations and familiarity with the accompaniment.