The most common developmental issue in children is delayed or reduced language acquisition. When human infants learn to speak, they use auditory representations of their caregivers’ speech for sensorimotor learning. Perceptual-motor integration is highly relevant to speech development, and if disrupted can lead to speech development problems. In order to remedy this, we need a better understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying auditory-vocal learning. In humans it is not possible to record brain activity on a neuronal level, therefore I will use an animal model. While most animals, including non-human primates, cannot vocally imitate, songbirds such as zebra finches learn their vocalisations from conspecifics. Songbirds’ nidopallium caudomediale (NCM), a higher-order auditory brain region, is important for the sensory memory-representation of the adult song model (tutor song). NCM is homologous to Wernicke’s area in humans, one of the main language-related brain regions, important for speech perception and recognition. Even though the role of NCM is relatively well-understood, it is not clear how the tutor song representation is formed or used for imitation learning. Here, I will address this by tracking neuronal activation over multiple days, to compare tutor song responses in specific cells before, during and after tutoring. I adapted and optimised a novel method using a genetically encoded calcium indicator in conjunction with miniature, head-mounted microscopes to record NCM neurons in freely moving zebra finches. Using this method, I will determine (1) the stability of the tutor song memory representation in NCM neurons, (2) how the auditory memory representation is formed during tutoring, and (3) how it can be used during sensorimotor imitation learning. A better understanding of memory representation and perceptual-motor integration in songbirds will help understand the neural mechanisms of speech acquisition in humans. This knowledge will inform potential treatments for developmental language disorders.