Background and aim: Studies about learning strategies in musical education have a long tradition which includes research in the context of religious and traditional music in the Middle Ages (Carruthers, 2008; Pesce, 1998; Robles, 2011). No causal link between cognitive abilities and progress in musical training has been established (Bigand and Tillman, 2022); although it has been shown that musical learning involves the use of memory as a process for consolidating information through imitation and repetition (Brem, Ran, and Pascual Leone, 2013; Sridar et al., 2023; Vilnite and Marnuanza, 2024), especially in students of popular and folk music around the world (Green, 2008). Studies on this phenomena are less common in Latin America and non-existent in the group of traditional violin apprentices in central Panama. This research aims to describe the memory and learning profile of students of traditional violin repertoire between the ages of 9 and 17 from communities in Coclé Norte and Azuero. The study proposes an initial approach to the analysis of the relation between memorization and learning strategies being used in the teaching of traditional Panamanian violin in the context of non-formal education and intangible heritage preservation. The results of this research could generate contributions applicable to the development of effective teaching methods that help preserve the traditional repertoire of Panamanian music and create favorable conditions for community cohesion in often marginalized groups. Methods and Sample: quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study with an exploratory scope. The sample included traditional violin apprentices (n=19), Mage = 12 years, IR = 11,12.5, from the rural communities of Las Tablas (Los Santos), Los Pozos (Herrera), and El Cristo (Cocle). The apprentices were assessed with the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) along with a brief clinical interview for their parents. Results and Conclusions: Overall, we observed that scores were in the lower average range in most indexes. Notwithstanding, scores in long-term memory tasks and associative memory tasks were particularly pronounced in relation to other parameters. These results are potentially significant in music learning research concerning observation, imitation, association, and repetition, which are essential mechanisms in the development of instrumental skills in the observed setting. Although future studies are needed, these results are a starting point toward the understanding of the effectiveness of the verbal and associative learning strategies being used in the teaching of the traditional violin repertoire in the context of non-formal education.