Consider these two quiz items. Which one's harder?

1. List the key events leading up to the War of 1812.

2. Recite every word if your favorite song from 6th grade.

I'm not a psychic, but I'd guess you had trouble with #1, and aced #2.

Sure, their musical delivery isn't not the only reason you remember the words so well - there are a lot of other salient factors. The song brought you and your best friends together emotionally and socially, like that time you all belted it out on the road trip. It entered your life at a simpler time, when you could invest more into it. You didn't need to worry about rent payments, your next job, cooking meals, filing your own taxes.

That said, I can't help but wonder why we ditch the valuable mnemonic of song when we grow up.

When we're kids, we learn everything through song. "Learning through song" is one of the most trusty learning techniques for kids.

Growing older, (especially in the information age today), learning remains just as important a skill as it was for us as children. Yet when we want to learn something, we rarely turn to song. Why?

Of course, you are likely employing various other learning modalities. When you're trained in the art of learning, you've got plenty of arrows in your quiver. And when you become a learning expert, the world really does softly alight into your hands.

Yet even to the most seasoned learners among us, and to the total learning beginners, I do declare! Why not get back to basics and try making a song about something? At the very least it'll probably be a little fun. And who knows, you might learn something new about yourself.