How to Learn English Through Music

In today’s world, almost everyone listens to music—at home, at work, in the car, or while working out. In fact, you can even learn English through music by incorporating catchy tunes into your daily routine. Music surrounds us everywhere, making it the perfect tool to learn English through music while having fun.

So why does learning through music work so well? It’s a great way to combine something enjoyable with something useful. Unlike traditional textbooks, music offers a fresh approach to language learning. Each song is like a new book, whether it’s country, hip-hop, or rap, providing endless opportunities to learn English through music through vocabulary, pronunciation, accent, and even cultural insights.

Are you wondering how exactly you can learn English through songs? No matter which song you choose, there are several key aspects you can focus on to make the most of it:

Pronunciation & Accent

Listening to songs helps you familiarize yourself with the natural rhythm, intonation, and pronunciation of native speakers. By singing along, you can practice mimicking sounds, improving your accent, and mastering difficult pronunciations in a fun and engaging way. In this immersive environment, you can truly learn English through music by experiencing language as it is naturally spoken. Songs often use colloquial language, offering a chance to hear the more casual and fluent way of speaking, which is different from textbook English.

Vocabulary Expansion

Songs introduce a wide variety of words and phrases, including idiomatic expressions, slang, and cultural references. As you listen, you can pick up new vocabulary and expressions that might not be found in formal learning materials. By continuously engaging with lyrics, you effectively learn English through music while expanding your language skills. Additionally, repeating these words in the context of a song helps with retention and makes them feel more natural to use in conversation, offering another opportunity to learn English through music in an authentic way.

Grammar Practice

By paying attention to the structure of sentences in songs, you can improve your understanding of grammar. Songs often include different tenses, conditional sentences, and complex grammatical structures, allowing you to hear how they are used in context. This reinforces your understanding of grammatical rules and helps you apply them more easily in everyday communication.

Listening Comprehension

Songs improve your listening skills by training you to understand different accents, speeds of speech, and vocabulary. Even though songs might be challenging to fully understand at first, repeated listening helps you catch words and phrases you may have missed. Over time, this sharpens your overall listening comprehension, making it easier to follow conversations in English.

Let’s practice!

You’ve probably heard Someone Like You (Adele – Someone Like You ) by Adele before—maybe you even know the lyrics by heart. That’s actually the easiest way to start learning English through music! Choosing a song you love and are familiar with makes the process more natural and enjoyable. Once you have your song, it’s time to break it down and use it as a learning tool. Here’s how you can do it step by step:

1. Listen to the song without reading the Lyrics – Try to catch familiar words and phrases. Focus on pronunciation and rhythm.
2. Read the lyrics while listening again – Look for new words and expressions. Try to understand the meaning of each line.
3. Look up unknown words – Use a dictionary to check meanings and write down useful phrases.
4. Analyze Grammar Structures – Notice the use of past simple tense (I heard that you’re settled down). Try to find other examples.
5. Sing along – Mimic Adele’s pronunciation and intonation. This helps with fluency and accent.
6. Write a short summary – Describe the song’s story in your own words. This helps reinforce comprehension and writing skills.
7. Practice speaking – Try using new phrases from the song in your daily conversations.

If you’re looking for ready-made exercises to practice English while listening to music, you can find useful resources here: Learn English With Songs – Online Lessons and Exercises. The site offers quizzes on various aspects of English, including idioms, gap-filling exercises, vocabulary exercises, and grammar gap activities. You can choose songs from two difficulty levels: easy and medium. Plus, if you’re studying at our Dublin campus, you can take your learning even further by joining our Through Music elective class—a fun and interactive way to improve your English through songs. Best of all, it’s completely free for our students!

You’re interested in the topic? Check out these articles:

Learning English Through Music: A Fun Approach

The power of music: How to learn English with songs | LearnEnglish

Learning language through music: A strategy for building inspiration and motivation – ScienceDirect

Written by Marcela Zielinska