Articles

Learning languages through music

July 2, 2018

You learn best when studying is fun. That’s why it makes sense to include a variety of methods in your study routine – for instance, learning with music.

Studying lyrics is a great way to learn a language because music will help you maintain your motivation, and catchy melodies make memorizing words easier.

When you start learning a language with music, the first step is choosing the right songs. It’s important to pick songs that you really like because you will be listening to them many, many times. Also, when listening to music that pleases you, it’s natural to start singing along, which obviously makes you want to learn the lyrics.

At first, you should just listen and enjoy. You’ll have plenty of time to learn the lyrics later. Once you have familiarized yourself with the piece and feel ready to start learning the lyrics, find them online. YouTube has lots of videos with lyrics, so you’ll be able to follow the text in real time. You can also find lots of original music videos with their lyrics on LyricsTraining, a site that lets you fill in the gaps to the lyrics as you listen and sing karaoke to your favorites.

Learning the lyrics might feel a bit difficult at first – especially if the song contains lots of words that are new to you – but it feels easier when you divide the song into smaller parts and learn one part at a time. The chorus is the best part to start with: it repeats often and usually has the catchiest melody, so it’s the easiest part to memorize.

When learning a foreign language with songs, the most important thing is repetition. Together with a catchy melody, it’s a very powerful method for learning a new language. The melody makes learning new words easy – even those that might otherwise feel really difficult to memorize.

The best way to learn new songs is by singing along. Let your inner karaoke star shine and delight your roommates, neighbors and family members with your sweet singing voice. Or if you prefer to keep your gig private, singing in the shower is always a good idea!