By Sarah-Claire Jordan
Music has always been a powerful tool when it comes to learning anything. Just think back to all the times your teachers taught you songs to help you memorize state capitals, elements of the periodic table, and more. You probably still remember some of those songs, or at least parts of them. The point is, music works very well as a way of memorizing things, and a lot of language learning is just memorization. Plus, music is much more fun than just listening and repeating what your teacher says.
Singing is probably one of the best ways to incorporate music into your language learning (or teaching) regime. The University of Edinburgh did a study on how singing and music improves language learning. They taught two groups of subjects some Hungarian words and phrases, using a simple “listen and repeat” exercise with one group and a slightly modified version with the other group. This modified version involved the words and phrases being sung instead of simply spoken. It was found that, after a short quiz, the group who was sung to retained more than the other group.
Learning the lyrics of a song in the language you are learning is an excellent way to increase your vocabulary. Slang words, synonyms, poetic language, and just different combinations of words are found in lyrics to songs. These are things you probably won’t find in a textbook anywhere, either. Find a song that interests you for whatever reason, and read the lyrics. Look up any words or phrases you aren’t sure about, and then practice singing it too. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to add words and phrases to your vocabulary this way, and you won’t forget them. Plus, you’ll know all the words to a song that you like, which is a fun way to impress native speakers.
Pronunciation is often something that language learners get stuck on. It’s difficult to figure out how to create sounds that maybe you’ve never heard before in your life, and no matter how many times your teacher repeats the word, it may not stick. However, since the lyrics to a song are set to a certain rhythm, it’s easier to pick out the individual sounds that make up each word. When words become melodic, they are also easier to tell apart, making it easier to learn, understand, and pronounce entire phrases.
Singing has also been known to improve breathing and help relieve stress, which makes it a great tool in the language classroom. How many times have you gone into a lesson feeling nervous about making mistakes or not being able to understand the material? If the class involves singing a song, you will calm down without even trying. Also, it’s a bit hard to take a class too seriously when it involves possibly making a fool of yourself. All of this adds up to a more relaxed classroom experience, which is perfect for something as daunting and complicated as learning a new language.
References:
- Fiset, Mireille. (September 3, 2013.) The Power of Music: 5 Reasons Why Music Helps with Language Learning. Livemocha. Retrieved from: http://livemocha.com/blog/2013/09/03/power-music-5-reasons-music-helps-with-language-learning
- Gray, Richard. (July 18, 2013.) Singing can help when learning a foreign language. The Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10188533/Singing-can-help-when-learning-a-foreign-language.html
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