Learning a new language can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but there are now more innovative and engaging ways to learn, such as using music. Music is a powerful tool for language learners, as it engages both our emotions and memory, helping us to remember new words and phrases, understand grammar structures and cultural references, and improve our pronunciation.
In recent years, there has been a growing trend of using music as a tool to learn a new language, and many language schools and courses are incorporating music into their teaching methods.
In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of using music to learn a new language, and introduce LyricFluent, an innovative mobile app that leverages the power of popular music to make language learning fun and effective.
CONTENTS SUMMARY
1. Why You Should Use Music for Language Learning
2. Is It Possible To Learn A New Language with Music
4. The Benefits of Learning Languages through Music
5. The Disadvantages of Learning Languages through Music
6. How To Start Learning A New Language with Songs
7. The Best Apps For Learning Languages with Music
1. Why You Should Use Music for Language Learning
Learning a new language can be a long and difficult process, but it doesn't have to be! In recent years, there has been a growing trend of learning languages with music, using music as a tool to learn a new language. Learning a new language is already a rewarding experience, and discovering many new amazing artists can make it even more rewarding!
Music is a powerful tool for learning a new language because it engages your brain in multiple ways. Not only are you listening to the lyrics and melody, but you are also processing the meaning behind the words, learning grammar structures, and understanding cultural references. By combining all of these elements, music can help you learn a language in a more immersive and fun way.
Many language schools and courses use music to help their students learn a new language. Learning languages with music is not a new concept. In fact, people have been using music to learn languages for centuries. But with the rise of technology, learning languages with music has become more accessible than ever before.
2. Is It Possible To Learn A New Language with Music
While traditional language learning methods such as textbooks, grammar drills, and flashcards have been the norm for many years, there are now more innovative and engaging ways to learn a language, such as using music.
So, the question is, is it possible to learn a language with music?
It's normal to be skeptical, but the answer is a resounding yes! Learning a language with music is not only possible but can be a highly effective way to learn and retain new vocabulary, sentence structures, and even grammar.
Music can be a powerful tool for language learners, as it engages both our emotions and memory. The melody, rhythm, and beat of a song can help us remember new words and phrases, and also teach us the natural rhythm and intonation of a language. Additionally, music can provide cultural context by referencing events, customs, and traditions of a language's culture.
Singing can be a fun and enjoyable way to learn a new language, and you don't have to be a great singer to do this. Many language learners have found that singing helps them to remember new words and phrases, improves their pronunciation, and boosts their confidence when speaking the language.
3. Why I Started LyricFluent
I used to think that learning a new language is a difficult and intimidating experience, but my perspective changed when I discovered the power of music.
I never thought that listening to music could help me learn a language until I was struggling with German in school. A friend suggested that I use music to help me, and I was surprised by how effective it was. The catchy melodies and relatable lyrics made learning German so much easier and enjoyable. My grades quickly started improving, so I knew that this method worked. And even my teacher noticed and picked me as the student who made the most improvement in the last semester.
Years later, when I started working for a company that required me to speak Spanish, I turned to music once again. And it worked again! I learned a lot of Spanish with music, and I really enjoyed the learning experience, discovering many amazing Latin artists. I changed jobs soon after, so I didn't necessarily use my Spanish for work. But my love for Latin music stayed and I kept improving, and since then, I had many chances to use my Spanish at language exchange meet-ups and to meet new friends.
So inspired by these successes, I created LyricFluent, an innovative mobile app that leverages the power of popular music to make language learning fun and effective. The lessons are engaging and interactive, and you can immerse yourself in the Spanish language through the music that you love! Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, the app offers a variety of songs and lessons designed for different music tastes and levels.
So, if you're looking for a fresh and enjoyable way to learn a new language, I highly recommend giving LyricFluent a try. I am confident that it will have the same impact on you as it did on me.
Next up, we will go through the benefits and disadvantages of using music to learn a new language. However, if you have heard enough and just want to get started, then you can learn languages with music with LyricFluent now.
4. The Benefits of Learning Languages through Music
Music has a way of engaging our memory, making it easier for us to remember new words and phrases. When we listen to music, we are not only hearing the lyrics but also the melody, rhythm, and beat. These elements can improve our memory, and help us to remember words and phrases more easily. This is why we use nursery rhymes to teach children to speak their first words. And this is why you can have songs stuck in your head for years, even when we sometimes do.
1. Learning a new language with music can help you to expand your vocabulary.
Many songs contain common phrases and expressions that are useful for everyday conversations. By learning the lyrics to a song, we can also learn new words and phrases that we may not have encountered in traditional language learning materials.
2. Music can help us to improve our pronunciation in a new language.
When we sing along to a song in a new language, we are forced to pay attention to our intonation, rhythm, and stress patterns. This can help us to speak the language more fluently and with better pronunciation.
3. Music can help us to understand the cultural context of a language.
Many songs contain references to cultural events, customs, and traditions, which can help us to better understand the people and the culture behind the language.
4. Music helps you stay motivated.
Learning a new language can be a long and challenging process, but learning with music can make it more enjoyable and engaging. Music has a way of engaging our emotions, making it easier for us to stay motivated and committed to our language learning goals. And discovering new artists and music that you love in your target language will motivate you to continue learning, as understanding the music can become a new goal for you.
5. The Disadvantages of Learning Languages through Music
While music can be a good way to learn a language, it's important to note that it should not be the only method of language learning. Music can be a great supplement to your learning, but it's important to use a variety of methods, including reading, writing, and speaking, to fully immerse yourself in the language.
While learning a new language with music has many benefits, there are also some potential disadvantages to consider.
1. Many songs contain slang or colloquial expressions that may not be appropriate for formal situations or conversations.
While learning a new language with music can help you to expand your vocabulary, the vocabulary is sometimes informal, and it can include slang and adult language. So while this is great to know while speaking informally to friends, this may not be appropriate to use in a business meeting.
2. Songs can lead to mispronunciation if you only rely on music to learn the language.
We know we used this as a benefit, and music can definitely improve your pronunciation, as it makes you want to sing along. However, some songs may not be sung in a way that accurately reflects the correct pronunciation or accent of the language.
This will not be a problem if you use an app like LyricFluent, because you can click on any word to hear the normal speech pronunciation of the word as well. This is very useful when the song is sung quickly and the pronunciation is not clear, or if you just want to double-check that the song uses the correct pronunciation, not an artistic version of the pronunciation.
3. Music has a lack of grammar instruction.
While music can help you to memorize new vocabulary and phrases, it may not provide you with a complete understanding of the grammar of the language. You can learn a lot intuitively, like children do, by being immersed in the language informally. However, in order to use the language correctly in formal situations, you may need to study the grammar of the language in addition to learning with music.
4. Passive listening doesn't work.
If you just have the radio playing Spanish music in the background, and you don't understand any of it and never make an effort to do so, then you will never actually learn Spanish. Learning a language with music is not a magic bullet, but it can be a highly effective tool for language learners. To get the most out of learning a language with music, it's important to actively engage with the lyrics, vocabulary, and lyric translations. This is where an app like LyricFluent becomes very useful. It offers a variety of active learning exercises to keep you engaged.
6. How To Start Learning A New Language with Songs
We have a more comprehensive article on how to learn languages with music, but we will summarize it here too.
1. Find artists that you like. This will make the process of learning the lyrics much more enjoyable.
We have blog posts with recommendations of artists for various languages, each with their country of origin, genre, and a short wiki-like introduction to the artist.
We have hundreds of artist recommendations for Spanish and we are working on adding more for other languages as well.
Recommendations of artists for Spanish French German Italian Portuguese Romanian
2. Find songs that you like.
We have blog posts with recommendations for songs as well for various languages. Each song recommendation has a snippet of the lyrics and lyric translations, the YouTube video embedded, and a wiki-like introduction to the topic of the song.
We have hundreds of song recommendations for Spanish and we are working on adding more for other languages as well.
Recommendations of songs for Spanish French German Italian Portuguese Romanian
3. Learn the lyrics
Once you've chosen your songs, start listening to them regularly and try to memorize the lyrics. You can do this by listening to the songs on repeat, following along with the lyrics from the internet, and singing along. As you become more familiar with the lyrics, you'll start to notice patterns and common phrases that you can use in everyday conversation.
This is where apps like LyricFluent come in handy, as you can listen to the song from the embedded YouTube video, and follow along with the lyrics line by line. If you're already an advanced learner and you're not looking for lyric translations, you can use another app, LyricsTraining, which is more of a karaoke-like app, but it has even more song options.
4. Study the lyric translations
After you've learned the lyrics, it's time to start studying the translations. This will help you to understand the meaning of the words and phrases you've been memorizing. You can find lyric translations online or try to translate them yourself with Google Translate.
Again, the LyricFluent app can be very useful here. The app offers reliable full lyric translations, as well as being able to click on any individual word to see its translation.
5. Translate the individual words which you don't understand
It's great to understand the general meaning of the song, but you may still find some individual words or phrases that are new and unfamiliar. Look up their meanings and write them down so you can refer to them later.
Again, with an app like LyricFluent, if you click on an individual word, you will see a translation of that specific individual word. So you can understand the meaning of each individual word, as well as the full sentence.
As a bonus, when you click on an individual word, you can also hear the pronunciation of the word. This can be very helpful if the song is too fast, or if the artist sings the word in an artistic way, rather than how the word is actually spoken.
Bonus step: Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Finally, the key to learning a new language with music is repetition. And that's where music becomes amazing content for learning languages. Music is made to be addictive and repetitive so that you listen to certain songs over and over. So keep listening to your chosen songs, singing along, and studying the translations until you feel comfortable with the language. The more you repeat the words and phrases, the more they'll become ingrained in your memory.
7. The Best Apps for Learning Languages with Music
We may be biased, but we think LyricFluent is the best learn languages with music app.
But there are also other apps for learning languages with music. We know because we study them to improve LyricFluent.
1. LyricsTraining / LingoClip
This app has been around for many many years. There is a larger selection of songs, and you can follow the lyrics of songs and fill in the gaps.
However, it doesn't have full lyric translations. You can complete these fill in the missing word exercises by listening to the sounds, but then never learn any new words in your target language.
If you're an advanced user who understands most written text but wants to practice listening skills, then LyricsTraining would be a good option.
LyricFluent has extra features such as full lyric translations, various engaging lessons for each song, translations of every individual word, and you can also hear pronunciations of each word as it is spoken.
2. Lirica
Lirica is another app created for learning languages with music. The app had some successes at the beginning of its journey, being chosen as a Hidden Gem by Google Play Store in 2018, and chosen as an App Store App of the Day in 2020.
However, the downside is that there have been very few updates later in terms of new features or new songs.
LyricFluent has more features, and we are adding new songs almost every day.
3. Lingopie
This is a new app for learning languages with music. It is currently pretty basic, as it seems to be an experimental product alongside their main product, which is actually for learning languages with movies. If that is what you are looking for instead, then Lingopie would be a good option.
But if you want to learn languages with music, and get the benefit of the repetitive nature of music, then we recommend going for LyricFluent instead.
4. LyricFluent
We are confident that our app LyricFluent is the best app to learn languages with music, and we are sure that you will agree.
We created the app with language learning in mind, so you can find full lyrics translations, individual word translations, so you can always understand the meaning of the lyrics and the sentence structure. You can also hear each word as spoken in normal speech when you click on it, so you can always know the correct pronunciation of that word.
We will continue working on making LyricFluent even better and to make sure that this is the best app and website for learning languages with songs.
Any feedback or suggestions would be very welcome!
8. Conclusion
In conclusion, learning a new language with music is an effective and enjoyable way to enhance language learning. Music can engage the brain in multiple ways, making it easier to remember new words and phrases, learn grammar structures, and understand cultural references.
Music has been used for centuries to learn languages, but with the rise of technology, it has become more accessible than ever before. While music can be a great supplement to language learning, it should not be the only method used. It is important to use a variety of methods, including reading, writing, and speaking, to fully immerse oneself in the language.
LyricFluent, our innovative mobile app that uses popular music to make language learning engaging and effective, is one such tool that can help learners achieve their language goals. Ultimately, learning a new language with music is a fun and rewarding experience that can lead to a deeper appreciation of different cultures and languages.