People often need to remember something, such as passwords and addresses, which uses a skill known as memorization. This happens not only in our lives but also in the area of music. Most musicians have a need to memorize their music for stage performance or to help make their music more beautiful. The problem is that many people have problems with memorization. To solve these problems, they try to find their own way to memorize, but in disorganized ways. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate a more organized method of memorization called Mapping Music by testing the method with private piano students.

Mapping Music by Rebecca Payne Shockley is an integrative method of memorization, combining visual and theoretical memorization. Shockley illustrates basic principles and techniques of mapping at levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Students notate details of the piece with short-hand graphics, chord symbols, rhythmic stems, descriptive words or pictures to represent a piece. It is a practice method that helps students memorize by making their own unique map.

This thesis will include a case study of my students, with three examples based on the students' various levels of study. Each student's map has different characteristics, such as using short-hand graphics, chord symbols, rhythmic stems, descriptive words or pictures to recall a passage. These case studies of students demonstrate that there are a variety of ways of using the mapping method.

Music and memorization are inextricably linked and should be considered together. I hope that this thesis will help students or performers to improve their memorization skills and musical aspects.