Department of Communication Skills: Learn English the Music Way

Learn English the Music Way

If you're someone who enjoys listening to music, why not try using music to help you learn English? Songs are a great way to memorize vocabulary or to learn new expressions because they stick in your mind.

Most people love singing along to their favorite songs... Well I’d love to hear them.

“Music can change the world because it can change people. “ (Bono)

Why songs ease the learning process?

Ø For young people especially, songs in English are popular. This can get them engaged and motivated to learn English;

Ø Songs are written in short, easy to remember, sentences;

Ø Songs engage your emotions and senses, helping to make the words easier to remember.

Ø Listening to songs is good way to practice and improve your English listening skills, and if you listen carefully and sing along you can improve your pronunciation.

Ø Songs are a good source of natural and creative language use, often with idiomatic expressions and slang.

FACT: One of the only activities that activates, stimulates, and uses the entire brain is MUSIC

How can songs help to learn English?

Ø Try listening to few songs.

Ø Listen to the song... feel the emotion.

Ø Select the one with the slow pace (for beginners).

Ø Understand, connect and importantly enjoy the song.

Ø Download the song with lyrics.

Ø Try to sing the song… as you listen the song, read the lyrics and sing (will improve your vocabulary).

Ø Eventually you will pick up the accent of the song (will improve your pronunciation).

Let’s Practice

Listen & Listen again. This time try to do the gap fill exercise I've given you below.

Song: The Climb

Singer: Hannah Montana

Video:

I can almost 1]____ it

That dream I am dreaming

But there's a voice inside my head saying

"You'll 2]_____ reach it"

Every 3]_____ I'm taking

Every move I make feels

4] with no direction

My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep 5] _____

Gotta keep my 6] held high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm 7] gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't 8]____ how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the 9] side

It's the 10]_____

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes 11] knock me down

But no, I'm not 12]_________

I may not know it

But these are the 13] that

I'm gonna remember most, yeah

Just gotta 14] going

And I, I got to be strong

Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna 15] it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how 16] I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other 17]______

It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be 18]______ mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how 19] I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the 20] , yeah!

Keep on 21] , keep climbing

Keep the faith, 22]_____

It's all about, it's all about the climb

Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa.................

Listen again.

* Check your answers – next week.(26th Nov.,2013)

So dear reader,

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” (Vince Lombardi)

Take your favorite English song, read the lyrics, memorize them & you’re guaranteed to have a much better memory of those vocabulary words than your classmates.

Music makes learning English easier and more upbeat!

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”. (Berthold Auerbach)