Learning Language Through Music

Tout le monde aime écouter de la musique.

Everybody likes listening to music (I think?). 

And if you're like me, you constantly have it playing. In the car, in your room, in the kitchen, while exercising, while zoning out and staring at your wall for an hour or two, overthinking every decision you've made. Constantly! Having the right song at the right moment makes life better, don't you think? There's nothing like kicking back with a mug of hot chocolate, fuzzy socks, fireplace blazing, and a Slipknot album to set the mood. 

Luckily for the music lovers out there, music can be a great tool for learning a language. 

Hello, today I will be playing "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

Passive Listening

When it comes to listening to music as a means of language learning, there are two primary methods of listening: passive and active. Passive listening requires little to no effort, you simply have the music play in the background and listen along. While it's unlikely that you'll learn very much by passively listening to songs in your target language, it's a simple method for easy absorption. Windows down, car stereo on the verge of being blown out, and getting stared at by strangers is my own personal favorite form of passive listening, but you can find your own preferred time and place for it. Whatever floats your boat, pal.

 It's really useful to have regular input of the language you are learning, because you'll get used to the sounds of the language and get a real feel for the flow of it, which is très important for sounding more like a native. It's the little things, people!  

Active Listening

On the other hand, active listening entails using music itself as a tool while learning, as you would with text in a book. Put your full attention into the song that you're listening to, rather than listening to it as background noise.  If you find a song you particularly enjoy, here's a little exercise you can try:

1. Try to see how much of the song you can understand without lyrics.
2. Look up the lyrics and follow along (see if you caught anything correctly!).
3. Listen again without lyrics and try again to see how much you understand.
4. Write down any new words you've come across (writing the sentence that the word is in as well helps provide context).

This is a method that I use pretty regularly for acquiring new vocabulary, because it's something that I don't get tired of. If you're really looking for a challenge, you can try translating a song from your target language into English, or, for even more of a challenge, do the reverse! It's a great exercise for your brain. And I know that you haven't been doing your sudoku puzzles, so don't try to lie to me. Get cerebral. Healthy brain, happy life. 

Culture

As I said before, I love languages because they give me the ability to understand a culture on a deeper level. Music is a HUGE part of this for me. A culture's music is a reflection of its people, and by listening to music, you'll be able to connect with so many more strangers. 

There's something so satisfying about referencing a song around a group of friends and the reference being picked up on.

 Oh!? You also think that Rina Sawayama's debut album Sawayama saved pop and is 2020 album of the year? Taste. (It's a shameless plug, and I will not apologize for it.) 

Being able to understand cultural references and make cultural references of your own will help you connect with others in a more profound way. You'll be able to participate in a wider range of conversations and offer your own thoughts on topics that wouldn't otherwise be available to you.

So turn up the volume and block out the haters, friends.