Marie Landskroener, music teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School, writes about the value of memorizing hymns:

Music not only helps us memorize the text of hymns and the words of stories but it also reminds us of the content of those hymns and stories by way of a simple melody. And the remembrance of those hymns and stories leads us to contemplate their subject, in this case the object of our worship and devotion—Christ.

You can read her entire piece here.