Do You Use Music to Learn English?

Do You Use Music to Learn English?

It's probably one of the most powerful "anglicizing" forces in the world today: American, Canadian, British, even Australian popular music. (But especially American!)

If you've noticed that music has helped you improve your English, you're not alone. And you're not just imagining it, either. Researchers have discovered numerous connections: Some of the more interesting findings include: Neurologists have found that musical and language processing occur in the same area of the brain, and there appear to be parallels in how musical and linguistic syntax are processed (Maess & Koelsch, 2001). and Adult learners in South Africa, exposed to instrumental music during an intensive English course, showed benefits in language learning (Puhl, 1989). Why is music so helpful? Well, it's usually written at about a 5th grade level, so it's easy to understand. The words are usually short, and easy to understand. Plus, there's plenty of repetition. And finally, the words are accompanied by rhythm and a melody that makes them much more memorable.

So if you're not already using music, find some! Start with slower, easier pieces, and gradually, once you've found styles of music that you like, move to faster and more difficult songs. It's a very fun and easy way to improve your English, and you can do it while you're working, travelling, or doing chores. This is a good complement to what The Linguist offers, which is a huge library of audio content that can be used in exactly the same way. However, our content also comes with written transcriptions, which is critical to really learning, and is available tailored to your precise interests.