We all love music. So much so that it is considered a universal language. And when learning a new language, music can be a fantastic tool to practice your listening skills and increase your vocabulary!
Listening to music in English regularly can help your ear get accustomed to the target language: its sounds and structure. I’m sure that with time and practice, you’ll be singing along to all of your favorite songs.
However, there’s more we can do to actively use lyrics and music to improve our listening skills and augment our English vocabulary that is more than just passively listening to a song.
Let’s get to it!
Here are my 7 steps:
Step 1: Choose one song to work with. It’s important that you choose just one song at a time so that you can study it in depth and give it your undivided attention. Catchy* pop songs work best if you’re just getting started. The lyrics are simpler and easier to follow.
Step 2: This is probably the most important step. Do NOT look up (search) the lyrics to the song just yet. Focus on listening attentively (with headphones, if available) and jot down all the words you can catch or identify! Replay the song as many times as you’d like and continue to write down as many words and phrases as you can.
Step 3: Include words or sounds you hear but cannot quite identify yet, even if you don’t know the spelling or what the words mean. This will help with memorization after you read the lyrics.
Step 4: Now it’s time! Check the internet to find the lyrics and compare them to your notes. Print them if you can and check to see how many words you were able to understand. How many did you get right?
Pay special attention to the spelling of those sounds or words you noticed but couldn’t understand (from step 3) and correct any other mistakes you find in your notes. Take a moment to congratulate yourself for your work!
Step 5: Now play with grammar. You can underline all the verb tenses you find. For example: all the verbs in simple past or present perfect. You can find verb forms, look for examples of passive voice, phrasal verbs, idioms or just adjectives. Have fun with it!
Step 6: Look up all the new vocabulary. Find the meaning to the words you cannot understand from context. Highlight them and list them on the side. Do not skip this step, here's where the vocabulary increase comes in! For extra practice: Try writing sentences or questions using these new words so that you won’t forget them!
Step 7: Sing your song and work on memorizing the lyrics! I guarantee that you will remember these lyrics for years to come. This might even become your new go-to* karaoke song!
Awesome job!
Here’s a list of songs by level to help you get started:
Beginner level
“ABC” by Jackson 5
“Our House” by Madness
“The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars
Intermediate level
“Beautiful Day” by U2
“Manic Mondays” by The Bangles
“It’s my life” by Bon Jovi
Advanced
“Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette
“Love Song” by Sara Bareilles
“Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia
“Somebody that I used to know” by Gotye
*go-to: preferred, first choice.
*catchy: memorable, unforgettable
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