Tired of those dry textbooks? Finding it hard to watch original English movies? There’s a super fun solution to all your English learning woes — music! Snag the playlist tailored to your English level at the end of this article.
Why should you learn English with music, you ask? Well, here are five rockin’ reasons that’ll improve your English while dancing to the English beat in no time:
Word Galore: Unleash your vocabulary power! Singing along to song lyrics is like a turbo-charged vocabulary workout. Especially in genres that use a truckload of words, you’ll be adding new ones to your repertoire faster than a record on warp speed.
Way to Great Pronunciation: Got an ear for music? Perfect! You can nail those tunes and repeat the singers’ intonation flawlessly. And even if you don’t have this ability, fear not! Simply listening to songs on repeat will fine-tune your pronunciation skills like a musical maestro.
Rhyme and Remember: Let’s face it—our brains love a good rhyme. Rhymed lyrics are like catchy jingles that stick in your mind like glue. So, when you associate new words with your favorite songs, you’ll be singing them in your sleep. Who needs a boring old textbook when you’ve got rhyming lyrics?
Talkin’ the Talk: Songs are a treasure trove of real-life language. You’ll pick up slang, contractions, omission of endings, reduction, and grammar quirks that you won’t find in textbooks. It’s like getting a backstage pass to the wild world of spoken English!
Grammar Grooves: Who said grammar has to be a snoozefest? Songs not only help you understand words in context, but they also give you a feel for how grammar works in real-life situations. It’s like learning grammar with a funky rhythm section.
NB! Some lyrics break grammatical rules. It doesn’t mean that the singers don’t know their own language. They want to make their songs simpler and bring them closer to everyday speech, which often has wrong grammar phases and unusual word order, abbreviation and grammar mistakes.
Check out the video Don’t Learn English Grammar From These Songs.
How to use songs to study English?
Follow our step-by-step instructions on how to turn your favorite playlist into an instrument for English study:
Find songs you love that match your English level. Below you can find ready-made playlists. And hey, don’t be afraid to update your playlists every now and then. Fresh jams mean fresh learning vibes!
Turn It Up: Listen to the song at least a couple of times. Try to catch the general meaning and let those catchy tunes sink in.
Visual Vibes: Can’t quite catch the lyrics? Watch the music video! It’ll give you the context and help you understand those tricky phrases you missed before.
Slow-Mo Groove: Need a little extra help? Slow down the recording to half-speed. But remember, when you’re an Upper-Intermediate or Advanced student, keep the original speed for an authentic experience.
Scribble and Scribe: Write down what you hear. Take notes without peeking at the lyrics to see just how much you’ve understood.
Fill in the Blanks: Find the lyrics and complete the missing parts. It’s like solving a jigsaw puzzle but with words. Piece ’em together and watch your English skills come alive!
Words to Groove By: Discover new words? Write ’em down along with their meanings. Makeup crazy associations or come up with rhymes to remember them. Who knew learning could be this fun?
Translation Station: Time to flex your language muscles. Translate the entire song into your native tongue. But hey, go the extra mile and do it yourself. Your own translation will stick with you longer than a pre-made one you found online.
Sing it out loud! Try to sing the song together with the performer and copy their pronunciation. You don’t need to hit the right notes; your vocal muscles will remember these movements anyway, even if you listen to music while doing them.
To help you get started, here are some playlists for different English levels:
Songs for the Elementary level:
- “Hello” by Adele
- “Roar” by Katy Perry
- “Can’t Stop The Feeling” by J. Timberlake
- “I Will Always Love You” by W. Houston
- “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat feat. SZA
Songs for the Intermediate level:
- “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
- “Wings” by Jonas Brothers
- “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish
- “As It Was” by Harry Styles
- “Love Lies” by Khalid & Normani
Songs for the Upper-Intermediate level:
- “Positions” by Ariana Grande
- “Toosie Slide” by Drake
- “Levitating” by Dua Lipa
- “Fight For You” by H.E.R.
- “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd & Ariana Grande remix
Songs for the Advanced level:
- “Formation” by Beyonce
- “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar
- “WUSYANAME” by Tyler, The Creator
- “a m a r i” by J. Cole
- “Edamame” by bbno$ & Rich Brian
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