Listening to music helps language learning

Listening to songs in your target language improves your  listening skills.  When you read the lyrics or even better, sing along to the track, it also helps your pronunciation, immersing you in a natural accent.   By listening and singing you can also learn new vocabulary,  picking up everyday street slang that you don’t always get in language classes.

This week has been full of musical nostalgia here at Helen’s Language Home.   The sounds of Manchester have echoed through the house. I have worked my way back through the Manchester music scene of the 80’s and 90’s creating a  playlist of songs from Manchester groups to help my students with their language studies.

Readlang

Readlang allows you to read the lyrics in synch with the music. Click on  unknown words and it translates them. Then it creates flashcards from this new vocabulary  to use for spaced repetition.  I love using Readlang to listen to Spanish and French songs and I hope you will enjoy it too.

The Sounds of Manchester 

So this week I have created a Sounds of Manchester  Music Shelf on Readlang.    Music as diverse as  Joy Division, The Smiths,  New Order, The Inspiral Carpets, The Stone Roses The Happy Mondays, Oasis.  All the songs chosen have clear pronunciation and the lyrics are provided.   Most of these songs have choruses in which the words are repeated so a good learning strategy is to learn the words to the chorus first and sing along with that.   Then learn a verse and sing along with that until you know if off by heart.  Then move on to the next verse.   Before you know it you will have a great Manchester accent and will be understood with no problems in the bars and clubs in the town.

I will be adding more music to my Sounds of Manchester Music Shelf on Readlang.   So if you have a favourite track from a Manchester band please let me know and I will try and add it to the shelf.  If you want to improve your English pronunciation and work on your accent then you can book lessons with me over on italki.

Do you use music in your language learning?  What strategies work for you?