Escuchar canciones en español me ayuda a mejorar la memoria.

Because escuchar is an infinitive, and in Spanish an infinitive can act like a noun.

So Escuchar canciones en español means something like listening to songs in Spanish. That whole infinitive phrase is the subject of the sentence.

• Escuchar = to listen
• Escuchar canciones en español = listening to songs in Spanish

This is very common in Spanish:

• Leer me ayuda a relajarme. = Reading helps me relax.
• Estudiar mucho cansa. = Studying a lot is tiring.

Here, canciones is being used in a general sense, not to talk about specific songs.

So:

• Escuchar canciones en español = listening to songs in Spanish, in general
• Escuchar las canciones en español would sound more like listening to the songs in Spanish, meaning particular songs already known in the conversation

Spanish often leaves out the article when speaking generally about plural countable nouns after a verb like this.

En español means in Spanish.

In Spanish, names of languages are normally not capitalised, unlike in English. So:

• español = Spanish
• inglés = English
• francés = French

That is why you write:

• una canción en español
• un libro en inglés

not with capital letters, unless the word starts the sentence.

Me means to me.

In me ayuda, the verb ayudar is affecting the speaker, so me shows who is being helped:

• me ayuda = helps me
• te ayuda = helps you
• le ayuda = helps him/her/you formal

So the structure is:

• Escuchar canciones en español = the thing doing the helping
• me = the person receiving the help
• ayuda = helps

Literally, you can think of it as:

• Listening to songs in Spanish helps me

Because ayudar is commonly followed by a + infinitive when it means to help to do something.

So:

• me ayuda a mejorar = helps me improve

This is the standard pattern in careful Spanish, including Spain:

• me ayuda a estudiar
• nos ayuda a entender
• te ayuda a dormir mejor

You may sometimes hear ayudar + infinitive without a, but ayudar a + infinitive is the safer and more standard choice for learners.

Because after a in this structure, Spanish uses the infinitive.

The pattern is:

• ayudar a + infinitive

So:

• ayuda a mejorar = helps to improve

Not:

• ayuda a mejora ❌
• ayuda a mejorando ❌

Other examples:

• empiezo a estudiar = I start studying
• voy a comer = I am going to eat
• aprendió a conducir = he/she learned to drive

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English might use a possessive like my.

Here, la memoria means memory in a general sense, or my memory in context because the sentence is about what helps the speaker.

So:

• me ayuda a mejorar la memoria = helps me improve my memory

Using la sounds natural.
Using mi memoria is possible, but it feels more specific or emphatic.

Spanish does this quite often:

• Me duele la cabeza. = My head hurts.
• Me lavé las manos. = I washed my hands.

Because the subject of the sentence is the whole phrase Escuchar canciones en español, and that whole action is treated as one thing.

So the verb is singular:

• Escuchar canciones en español me ayuda...

Even though canciones is plural, it is not the main subject by itself. The subject is the full infinitive phrase Escuchar canciones en español.

Compare:

• Las canciones en español me ayudan... = Spanish songs help me...
  Here las canciones is the subject, so the verb is plural: ayudan.

Grammatically, yes, but the meaning changes a bit.

In many contexts:

• escuchar = to listen
• oír = to hear

So:

• Escuchar canciones en español suggests active listening
• Oír canciones en español suggests simply hearing them

In this sentence, escuchar is the more natural choice because it implies paying attention, which fits the idea of improving memory.

Yes, you could.

In Spain, both español and castellano can mean the Spanish language. The choice often depends on region, context, or personal preference.

So these are both possible:

• canciones en español
• canciones en castellano

For most learners, español is the most neutral and widely understood option.

Because object pronouns like me normally go before a conjugated verb.

So:

• me ayuda ✅
• ayuda me ❌

Spanish object pronouns can go after:

• an infinitive: ayudarme
• a gerund: ayudándome
• an affirmative command: ayúdame

But with a normal conjugated verb like ayuda, the pronoun goes before it:

• me ayuda
• te ayuda
• nos ayuda