Is it possible to learn a language with music?
Has a catchy lyrics of a foreign song been stuck in your head for so long? A song like Gangnam style, Decpacito, or zitti e buoni. Sometimes you can sing along with a foreign song while you don’t even know the meaning. Now imagine searching the translation of the lyrics to that song and then knowing both meaning and words of that song. That’s how so many people learn a language with music.
If you’re not putting music in your language learning plan, you’re missing out a lot. You must listen to songs in your target language for at least 30 minutes a day.
Keep reading to know exactly how to find music, listen to songs, and plan to learn a language with music.
How can I learn a language with music?
Lyrics are good sources to find useful and beautiful words and phrases. The rhythm in songs makes it so much easier to memorize them. Also, because most songs have concepts, it makes knowing where to use those words a lot easier.
There is no one who dislikes music. Music is the language of our soul. That’s why when we’re learning a language with music our brain can’t really decide if we’re studying a language or doing a really fun activity. Which increases the learning function.
Here’s some tip to have in mind when you’re learning a language with music:
1-Listen to the songs that you really like
Don’t force yourself to listen to some songs that you don’t like, just because they are in the language that you want to learn. Just look for the songs in styles and genres that you enjoy. Whether your favorite genre is rock, blues, jazz, or even rap.
But remember to pick songs that have a reasonable BPM, so you can hear the pronunciations and intonations better. For example, I don’t recommend the song “rap god” by Eminem for someone who wants to learn English by listening to music.
How to find interesting songs in our target language?
Just go to Spotify and search songs in “your target language’s name” for the level you are at. For example, German playlists for beginners or Spanish playlists for beginners. You can also search on Google.
Then listen to the playlist and find your favorite songs. This way Spotify recommends more songs that suit your taste in music.
Bond with your favorite artist. When you bond with an artist you accept and feel the songs and the lyrics more. So you can learn the words and the phrases that the artist is saying better.
2-Sing along to the song without knowing the lyrics
The first time when you hear the song, try to sing along with it without looking up the lyrics. Just try to sing along if you don’t know the words and their meaning. If you really can’t pronounce or guess some words, just hum with the rhythm. This way when you actually read the lyrics, the words stay in your mind better. This technique is very good for all your listening, speaking, reading, and pronunciation skills.
3-Look up the lyrics
This is the level you go search the lyrics and pay attention to words, phrases, and their meaning. Lyrics are like the subtitles of foreign movies that we watch to learn a language.
You can find the lyrics of the songs just by a little search on Google. Save the lyrics somewhere and try to read them as many times as you memorize them. I personally write them down in my notebook. Writing makes memorizing easier. It also makes you learn the pronunciation better because when you write you pay attention to the vowels and the letters more.
It is better to listen to the songs a couple of times and then go search for the lyrics.
4- Look up the translation of the lyrics
I’m sure that you are aware of the importance of searching for the translation of songs. Knowing the meaning of the song not only teaches you your target language, but it increases the beauty and the joy of listening to the songs. This is the most important part
5-Have a notebook for your lyrics
Go buy a pretty notebook and write the lyrics with the translations in it. You can also write down the phrases and the worlds with their meaning in your notebook and check the notebook for 5 minutes every day. If you’re a technology person you can use flashcards apps and program like Anki flashcard and write down words and phrases with their meaning in them.
6- Use your imagination
Now that you know the lyrics and the meaning of the song, try to think about what was the songwriters thinking when they wrote the song. What is the point of the song? How can you relate to the lyrics?
You can even make scenarios and a music video based on the meaning of the song and play the first role in them. Come on we all do it when we’re listening to a cool song. This helps really absorbing the song and understand it with each of our cells. That’s how we learn words and phrases in that song better.
7- Watch music videos on YouTube
You have definitely heard that the best way to learn a language is by watching movies. Watching music videos is like learning a language with both music and movies.
Music videos stay in mind really good because they are illustrated. The best way to watch music videos is watching them with language learning with YouTube Google Chrom extension. Keep on reading to see how this Google Chrome extension will save your butt.
How to learn a language with music videos YouTube extension?
First of all, click here to download language learning with YouTube and Netflix Google Chrome extension. That’s right; it works on both YouTube and Netflix.
If you want, you can watch this two minutes tutorial video to get familiar with this extension.
Read this short article about how YouTube can help you learn a language in general. I can say after reading this you won’t need any other guidelines.
This Google Chrome extension adds so many languages learning features and options to YouTube and Netflix. Some of the options are:
Dual subtitles
With this language learning Google Chrome extension you can have two subtitles in two different languages at the same time. If you’re playing a song on YouTube, you can have the original subtitles to see the lyrics and know the right pronunciation and writing of words. Also, you can have your mother language’s subtitles to know the meaning of words and sentences.
There are subtitles in more than 40 languages with this language learning Google Chrome extension.
Hover dictionary
When you’re watching a video on YouTube to learn a language, whether is a music video or a lyrics video, and you come to a word or phrase that you want to know its meaning, it would be a bummer to stop the video and go search in dictionary.
If you have this language learning with YouTube Google Chrome extension if you ever come to a word or a phrase from the subtitles that you want to know its meaning, all you have to do is to hover the mouse over it. you will get the meaning and even the pronunciation right away.
Save words and sentences
This language learning Google Chrome gives you the ability to save words and sentences from the subtitles, so you can review them later.
All you have to do is to click on the plus sign next to the words and sentences that you want to save. They will be saved in the sidebar with their meaning.
Download saved words and sentences
You have review vocabulary that you have learned from the music videos and lyrics videos that you have watched on YouTube. Because you can’t make sure if you really learned them if you don’t review properly. Therefore, this language learning Google Chrome extension gives you the ability to download your saved words and sentences for offline review.
You can export your saved words and sentences as:
- Text file
- Anki flashcards
- CSV file
- PDF file
The auto-pause button
You can make so many fun exercises with the auto-pause button. When you activate the auto-pause button, you can put it on two modes:
- The video pauses after every sentence, and it will start playing again after a few seconds automatically. You can choose the pausing time from the setting section.
- The video pauses after every sentence, and it will start playing when you press the space key.
Three fun exercises that you can do with the auto-pause button are:
- Listen to the lyrics carefully, and in the pausing time try to repeat the sentence or the phrase that you have heard. This is a really good exercise for your listening skills.
- Try to make a sentence or phrase in your target language that rhymes with the sentence or phrase that you have just heard. This will improve your communication and speaking skills in your target language, and of course, it improves your songwriting skills too. 😉
- You can disable your mother language’s subtitles from the setting section, and then guess the meaning of every sentence in the pausing time. You can check if you’re correct with the hover dictionary.
Keyboard shortcuts
Basically, with the keyboard shortcuts feature, you can control what happens on the screen with your keyboard. This feature makes things happen faster and easier.
first, you have to activate the keyboard shortcuts feature from the setting section.
Some of the keyboard shortcuts are:
- Speed up playback –> R
- Normal playback –> E
- Slow down playback –>W
- Play / Pause Space
- Next –>D
- Previous –> A
Design your screen
You can design your screen however you like. You can choose the color, size, font, and the place of subtitles.
Also, you can decide if you want to put a background for subtitles or not.
Download the whole subtitles
you read about the lyrics notebook and how it can help you. With this language learning Google Chrome extension, you can download the whole subtitles when you’re watching a music video or a lyrics video.
You can download the whole lyrics with their meaning. So you can review and observe them whenever you want.
Language learning Chrome extension with Amazon Prime
This language learning Chrome extension that you’re reading about works on Netflix and YouTube. But there is language learning with the Amazon Prime Google Chrome extension. This Google Chrome extension is for people who want to learn a language with Amazon Prime movies and it has all the same features. Click here to download language learning with the Amazon Prime Google Chrome extension.
What are your tips about language learning with music?
Share your experience and tips about language learning with music with a comment. What do you think about the music of the country that you’re learning its language? Do you even know about the history of the music of the country that you’re learning its language?
Check out learnonelanguage.com to get the best-updated tips about language learning.
If you want easy tutorials about how to use language learning Google Chrome extension check out extension.appforlanguage.com
