Music is one of the best ways to learn a new language.

Listening to music activates many parts of the mind simultaneously. This is why you sometimes feel good and sad while listening to sad songs. It is also why music is a therapeutic tool and why musicians tend to have higher IQs than average over the course of their lives.

Music activates the whole brain.

Whatever your tastes are, there is no doubt that music is a large part of your day-to-day life. You listen to it to relax, on the way to work, at social gatherings. Maybe you are a musician yourself. Considering its qualities and availability, it is no wonder music can help you learn English.

(Is music not working for you? Maybe you’d find it easier to learn with technology. We have some tips here and here.)

But what to listen to? Whatever you like. The beauty of the music-language relationship is that no matter what genre you are into, you can find a way to use it to improve your English. The trick is to find the group of artists and songs that you like and begin practising with them. Gradually you can move on to other music.

All genres of music can be helpful in learning English.

Helpful tip: when listening to a song, first try to sing along without reading the lyrics. Then read the lyrics while listening to the song and finally practice singing along without the lyrics again. Because English music is heavy on rhythm, your mind will learn the language faster.

Another music tip: memorize new words while listening to music. Studies show that this helps you remember. You should also sing the words to better memorize them.

Music can help new English speakers improve their understanding of pronunciation, vocabulary, tone and context. Next time you are listening to your favourite song, try to really listen to the lyrics, break them down, and sing along.

Want more learning tips? Check our out Learning Tips blog for all your learning needs.

About the Author

Dagmawi is a man of many hats. He was written web content, as a journalist and creatively. An engineer by training, he also has experience with marketing and business development. But travel and writing are his two passions and he is always on the search for greater opportunities to express himself through the written word. Follow him on Twitter.