I'm with you Cat. I don't have the excuse of classical training though. I'm happy at this point to memorize the tune I'm working on... at about a 50% success rate so far. However, I consider myself just shy of a complete newbie.

But the more I memorize, the easier this gets. It's also easier to work on the feel of the piece when you aren't looking at the paper and give it some of your own "spin."