5 Tips to Learn English with Music
on May 7, 2020
Learning English is quite useful. It’s handy in business, traveling, and even making friends around the world. But admit it, it’s troublesome to learn. We are busy people and why allot our time in learning when we can just relax.
Well, you don’t need to spend all of your free time on language learning. You can just spend around an hour a day or 5 hours a week is enough to learn one. You just need to know how to learn smarter.
Active vs. Passive Listening
When learning a new language, you can use active and passive listening. Active listening is when you’re focused on what the person or audio is saying. For example, you’re conversing or listening to a tutor lecture or maybe watching a movie you’re so engrossed in (yes, you can also learn from watching movies).
On the other hand, passive listening means you’re just listening without concentrating that much. Examples are listening to podcasts or music while doing something else. And both have merits in language learning.
So, since listening to music is more enjoyable, should you just listen to music for learning?
How Effective is listening to Music for Learning?
Relying on music alone for language learning is not ideal. It should be just a supplement to your learning efforts. So if you have limited time to learn English, you can use passive listening to make the most out of your time.
Listen to it during your free time or when you’re doing menial tasks. But it’s not merely listening. Again, this should be on top of your active learning and practice. To make it effective, you should follow these 5 tips to learn English with music.
Be Mindful that You Intend to Learn
Sometimes, it’s all about intention in doing our tasks. And it’s the same with learning English with music. When we listen, we tend to drift away from our present. How can we learn if we are not aware of our goal?
Treat listening to music as a language exercise. Yes, you’re enjoying the music, but you’re also learning along the way. This can make your listening more effective in the long run.
Listen to the Songs that You Like
There’s no use listening to songs you don’t enjoy. This might be obvious, but you should be listening to songs you like. In this way, your English learning can be more effective.
Although, it’s best to listen to music that you can easily understand as some singers might not pronounce the sentences clearly. The best genres to learn music from are:
- Pop
- R&B
- Rock
- Hip-hop
There are thousands to choose from. Find your perfect English playlist in Spotify, Apple Music, or even Youtube, depending on your taste.
Study the Lyrics
The next step is studying the lyrics. Remember, you can’t learn English by passive listening alone. You can make your listening worthwhile by analyzing the lyrics. Digest what each sentence might mean. Take note of the emotion expressed while they sing those heartfelt rifts.
If you hear something you don’t understand or something that got your attention, write them down and study it.
In this way, you can learn new vocabulary, slang, and idioms you can use in regular conversations. You can even learn about the culture in the context of the song.
Sing Your Favorite Songs
It’s time to flaunt your singing voices to learn the English language! In language learning, memorization of new words is part of the process. And repetition is key to memorize new words.
And what better way than to have songs on repeat and sing along! By doing this, you can memorize new phrases and vocabulary with those catchy verses.
On top of it, you can also practice your pronunciation and accent. You can learn how to speak as locals do!
Yes, you might not have the best voice out there, but you can always say it’s for learning. Takeout your karaoke cravings and learn while having fun!
Be Consistent: Study Other Songs as Well
When you mastered one song, look for other songs you can study. It’s time to be consistent! By doing this cycle over and over again, you will not only learn English but also enjoy your music learning time as well.
Conclusion
There are different methods of learning English. And listening to music is one way to make learning more enjoyable. Another way is by the help of an expert tutor that can guide you. With a structured English learning program, a mentor can customize lesson plans based on your needs.
LingualBox can be your partner in learning English. With as low as $2 per session, you can have certified English tutors teach you English 1-on-1 regardless of your current skill level.
With that, I hope the following tips above will allow you to learn English with music effectively. Cheers!
Related Topics:
- 11 Easy Conversation Starters
- Important Tips to Become an Effective English Listener
- 4 Helpful Strategies to Help You Think in English
- Simple Ways of Increasing Your English Vocabulary
- 5 Common Ways To Improve Your English Pronunciation
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