What Music Should I Listen To When Learning English?
Author: Nicole Sage
Date: 04/05/2023
Music is a great way to improve your English language skills. Not only is it entertaining, but it can also help you develop your listening, speaking, and vocabulary skills. We’ve already touched on before in our blog how listening to the language in mediums such as movies is such a powerful, and fun way to learn and widen your vocabulary.
When choosing music to listen to while learning English, it is important to consider a few factors, such as the tempo of the music, the lyrics, and the genre.
At Meridian English, here are some of our top tips on choosing the right type of music to listen to when learning English.
What Music Should I Listen To When Learning English?
Choose songs with clear lyrics
When you are learning English, it is important to choose songs with clear lyrics that are easy to understand.
If you listen to songs with complicated or ambiguous lyrics, it may be difficult to understand the words and follow the meaning of the song.
Songs that have clear and simple lyrics will help you develop your vocabulary and grammar skills, and they will also help you to understand the melody and rhythm of English language.
Listen to songs with a slow tempo
Listening to songs with a slow tempo will allow you to follow the lyrics and understand the words and phrases used in the song.
Songs with a slow tempo are also helpful for pronunciation practice. You can sing along to the lyrics and pay attention to the way the words are pronounced.
Try different genres of music
English language music is diverse, with a variety of genres such as pop, rock, rap, hip-hop, and country.
Listening to different genres of music will help you to understand the different styles and rhythms of English language.
Music is a great way to learn new vocabulary. When you come across new words or phrases in a song, write them down and look up their meaning. You can also create flashcards or use online tools to practice the new vocabulary you have learned. This will help you to expand your vocabulary and improve your language skills.
Focus on the lyrics
Read the lyrics and try to understand the meaning of the words and phrases used in the song.
Don’t be afraid to listen to the song multiple times to really get an understanding of the words used in the song, this will help you to understand the context in which certain words and phrases are used.
Sing along
For young learners and beyond, one of the best ways to improve your English language skills is simply to sing along to English songs!
This will help you to practice your pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. You can also practice your listening skills by singing along to the lyrics and paying attention to the melody and rhythm of the song.
Watch music videos with subtitles
Watching music videos with subtitles is a great way to improve your listening and reading skills.
You can follow the lyrics of the song while watching the video, which will help you to understand the meaning of the words and phrases used in the song. You can also practice your pronunciation by singing along to the song while watching the video.
Meridian English Recommends: 5 Top English Songs To Listen To
Thanks to Youtube and the online accessibility of music these days, there are so many great English songs to choose from, but here are a few recommendations that are perfect for helping to widen your English vocabulary and confidence with the language.
Adele – Hello
Adele’s song ‘Hello’ is a potent tool for English learners due to its slow introduction and lucid lyrics.
Specifically, for beginners in English, her distinct London accent is conducive to becoming familiar with novel vocabulary and expressions.
Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
Ed Sheeran – Shape of You is a hugely popular English song that has easy to learn lyrics. It also helps that it has a super catchy melody which makes it fun to follow along with.
OneRepublic - Counting Stars
A great song for English learners, a memorable melody, and uses common expressions that can be useful for everyday conversation. Don’t forget to follow along with the lyrics on the screen!
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Featuring poetic and descriptive lyrics, this song can help learners to expand their vocabulary and improve their understanding of figurative language in English.
However, you’ll soon find that it can become undeniably hard to listen to this song without singing along!
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
The last of our top picks is Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars. The song’s slow and melodic pace can also make it a good choice for learners who want to practice their listening and pronunciation skills.
Music is a great way to improve your English language skills, it’s fun, educational and can help you practice that perfect singing voice too!
We’d love to hear what your favourite songs to learn English are, do let us know in the comments below.
Want to take your child’s English language learning to the next step? Our online English classes will take your child from beginner to confident English speaker. Get in touch for more information.
