Joe, this is a problem for us older people. There are so many songs in the world that I'd like to learn but don't have the time yet I can retain melodies and chords to many of them.
My problem with Rise Up Singing is that when people are singing together and have to bury their nose in a Kindle or RUS, they tend to tune out musically to others around them.

There are so many songs that I used to know but have forgotten and I require cheat sheets with sometimes just a few words to trigger my memory.

In later years, Woody Guthrie had to use cheat sheets to remember his own songs publicly.

I try to memorize as many songs as I can without looking at a reference but still, if you don't do them for a while, they get away from you.

I have friends who have "eidetic" memories and can retain lyrics, which I think is a special gift.
My thing is the music, which I have been able to retain to many songs.

Still, just as we don't want to discourage people from voting in elections, we don't want to close the door to their participation in the singing process, using RUS as a catalyst.

I think that as much memorization that can be achieved is important but allowing for
people to be able to singalong with their songs, well.....not everyone has the time to
become versed in many songs, but their role in singing should not be foreclosed.