Learning English through music

I´ve often been amazed at my students’ who´ve learned English simply by listening to music. Some of these students are musicians, others simply love music and have spent hours listening to their favorite songs and writing down the lyrics. I actually did this myself when I was 15 years old and back then we didn´t have CD players so I had to be rewind the cassette over and over again! The first song I wrote down was "Gangsta Paradise" and as I came to school that day with the lyrics I was immediately asked to make copies for all my classmates as we sat there and sang instead of studying. Good times! After that, I started writing down lyrics to Eminem´s songs, which was a bit more of a challenge, but it definitely helped me improve my listening skills. 

I remember when I lived in California and heard the great Brazilian musician Jorge Ben for the first time. Of course I fell in love with his music but I couldn´t understand a word he was saying, since I didn´t speak any Portuguese at the time. I remember how happy I was when I listened to the same songs after living here for some time, and I could finally understand their meaning. Not only did I like the songs more, but I also gave more value to the artist because I found his lyrics so beautiful and deep. Now I can actually sing along and understand the meaning behind the songs better.

There is a website that I´ve used several times with my students and has turned many of my classes into a game or a competition. This website is useful for listening exercise and can be used to practice spelling.

Try it out! I promise you´ll have fun. Just choose your favorite band and see what song options they offer. 

Now choose your level (they have three) - Beginner - Intermediate - Expert.

I would only recommend the expert level if you know the song by heart because you have to fill in all the words! It´s very difficult actually! My hands were aching after I played the song "Love The Way You Lie" - I had to type super-fast for the song not to stop. 

So put that CD on and start singing along!

Have fun!