The Best Songs to Learn English!

Music is amazing!

Think about your favourite song and all the memories that songs can bring back.

Maybe it was dancing to the Backstreet Boys with your friends or maybe(like me) it was listening to Bob Dylan and having the feeling that I have to play that on guitar now!

Songs can be shared with a loved one, bring you true friendship or help you when you are feeling sad!

So let’s learn about how using songs can help you to learn English.

Why use songs to learn English?

Songs contain stories of people’s lives and sometimes can be very personal to the singer. We love to hear these stories and to connect with the singer and how they are feeling. They can also tell stories of a country’s history and culture.

But Conor….

What has this got to do with learning English???

Well! Let’s see. Singers use the same vocabulary that they use when they are speaking so this is an excellent way to improve your listening skills!

You need to listen carefully to the words and the pronunciation of the words and then it is your turn so….

Sing!!!!

Yes! Singing is a great way to practice your English.So, Sing in the shower, sing in the kitchen while you make dinner and I promise you that you can sing (Singing is a skill like speaking a language so yes you NEED to practice)

When I was learning Spanish and Portuguese, I used to write down the lyrics of my favourite songs and then check the words I didn’t understand for new vocabulary. Then I learned the song on guitar and started to sing it!

Can you guess the songs I learned? Comment below!  

You use music at any level when you are learning English. Everywhere I have been around the world I hear English music on the radio (especially Ed Sheeran and Coldplay!!) so start paying attention. Coldplay and Oasis are bands with lyrics for beginners.  

How does music help you to learn English?

Music helps you with your listening skills and you can learn new vocabulary at the same time!

You can also practice your speaking skills when you SING!! Singing can help you practice the rhythm of the language that you are learning. If you are creative you could even write a song to improve your writing!

This is one of the best ways to make learning English fun and you should use this as one of many different strategies that you can practice your English.

Where can I find music with lyrics?

Youtube is the best place to find lyrics with your favourite songs. Just type your favourite song into youtube and add “with lyrics”. Here is a playlist somebody made with pop songs!

Another option is lyricstraining.com. This is an interactive “fill in the space” activity for all your favourite songs,

When should I study with music?

I recommend that you use music when your motivation is a bit low and you are tired.

When you are really motivated you should be doing something more challenging like a listening exercise with a Cambridge Exam or writing a text.

You can use Music as a reward for example. I will write a 150 word text and then I can play on lyricstraining!

Be careful what music you choose!!

Some songs have very difficult lyrics that even I can’t understand.

I would not recommend genres like Rap/House/RnB/Heavy Metal unless you really love that type of music.

You can also use music to study Grammar….

For example, If you are studying the present perfect and want to see more examples then you can find a song that uses it a lot and study the lyrics.  Here is a song by U2 where Bono talks about his life experiences and uses the present perfect.