[MusicTlk] Tips on how to memorize a very repetitive peace

[Tara Briggs]

 Hi fellow musicians! I am a  blind flutist and although it might not be relevant for this discussion, I do not have perfect pitch.

  I learn all my music by ear. For me, this means there are some pieces that are much easier to learn than others. I recently learned the third movement of the concerto which didn’t take me very long to memorize it. Although the piece was technically challenging, it had a beautiful singing melody throughout the entire piece even during some of the more difficult parts. I am preparing for a flute competition and one of the required pieces is Ching a ring cha by Aaron Copeland. The piece is pretty easy to play it as long as I’m playing it with recording my flute teacher made. Once I stop doing that I am lost because there is a melody throughout the piece but little tiny differences each time you play it. Does anyone have any tips on how to successfully and quickly memorize a piece like this? Thanks for any help! 
TaraSent from my iPhone