Remembering Mnemonics

I've still got mnemonics on my mind. My aunt told me she remembered which side of a boat is port and which is starboard by thinking, "Star light, star bright, starboard right." Not real catchy, but it works for me.

That reminded me of a story my piano teacher told me. A little boy is asked by his piano teacher to name the key that has one sharp. He says he doesn't know. His teacher tells him he had better find out before his next lesson or he'll get a spanking. The next week he is still unable to answer correctly, and his teacher says, "Do you remember what I said would happen if you couldn't tell me what key has one sharp?" The kid says, "Oh, gee," and the teacher says, "That's right!"

I know, I know, but it helped me for a lot of years.  Music teachers are full of little helpful tricks, like those famous acronyms for the lines and spaces of the staff -- Every Good Boy Does Fine and All Cows Eat Grass. My teacher had a problem with Good Boys Do Fine Always, however, being a real stickler about grammar. She insisted it should be Good Boys Do Finely Always, since it was an adverb.

That got me thinking about (and this is the last one, I promise) the acronym made up of the initials of the five Great Lakes -- HOMES -- to help you remember Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, unless, of course, you're Jewish, in which case you'd probably want to remember them as Michigan, Ontario, Superior, Huron and Erie (MOSHE).

That's all.