8 Great Tips to Learn English Through
Songs and Music

It works.

There is considerable scientific evidence that demonstrates how music can help second language learners acquire grammar and vocabulary
and improve spelling.

Learn everyday language and colloquial speech.

The language used in songs is casual and actually usable, if you pick the right music.

Become familiar with the sound of English.

Listening to songs will also allow you to focus on your pronunciation and understanding of the English language’s rhythm, tone and beat.

Get English stuck inside your head.

Many of the words and sound patterns within a song are repetitive and this makes it easier for them to stick in your mind.

Songs are emotional.

When something is emotional, then of course it is also easier to remember.

Music is an easy habit.

One reason people find language learning difficult is they don’t have an extra minute in the day to devote to their studies.

When you’re learning English through songs, you don’t need to set aside
too much time because you can take the music with you wherever you go.

Music teaches you English culture.

Music gives you insight into Englishspeaking-culture
and how English-speaking people think and feel.

Before getting started you need to select the songs you will learn from. This is important because there are a lot of potential pitfalls.

YouTube and Vimeo

Spotify

FluentU

There is something great in our collection for English language learners of any skill level from “newbie” (beginner) to native.

Find music that uses the right kind of language.

This means language that’s not too easy or too hard, and that’s commonly used.

Sometimes singers won’t pronounce the
sound clearly.

You might want songs that tell a story, which could make it easier to
understand and visualize.

Start with pop music and then branch out.

In practice, you will have to spend some time digesting the lyrics and their meanings so that you understand it first.

Scaffolding is something that holds up and supports something
that is being built, like training wheels for a bicycle.

Instead of trying to figure out the lyrics on your own, you can use resources like the following to accelerate this:

Lyrics.com and Smartlyrics.com

Music English

FluentU

Break the song down, word by word, and try to master each word so that it’s a part of your vocabulary.

You can do this through a flashcard service like Anki, FluentU or Mental Case.

Regardless of your singing prowess, you should try singing out loud
to the music.

This forces your mouth to adopt the right shapes and move with
the rhythm of the song.

After a while, you should find that you’re starting to memorize the song

Try singing the song without
looking at the lyrics

You should be able to find that you can do
a much better job including such words in your everyday speech.

Another fun way to test your memory is with the game Lyrics Training

After you get comfortable with one song, you can move to the next.

Then after enough time passes, you can go back to the first song.

“spaced repetition”

This is perhaps the most difficult step.

Each new song that you learn should have the right balance of totally new vocabulary and in-progress vocabulary.

This right level of overlap keeps you motivated, and also naturally reinforces your previous learning for maximum benefit.

Have fun and enjoy! Music is a universal language and one that we can
all enjoy and relate to.

When you incorporate language learning into fun activities
like listening and singing aloud to music, you won’t even notice that you’re picking up a second language.