Why listening to music is the best way to learn Spanish
Gone are the days of learning a language from a dusty textbook. Songs that actively engage you in the language through culture and immersion are where it’s at.
Learning a new language can sometimes get frustrating. From endless grammar and an overload of vocabulary, the sparkle and excitement can sometimes begin to fade as it all becomes a bit too complicated.
Getting ready for Karaoke
How can songs help us learn?
Listening to Spanish songs improves our pronunciation and tone (and maybe even grammar!) - Mimicking a singer’s pronunciation and cadence when listening to a song can help us as students develop a more natural and authentic accent. Some studies have even found that learning a language through music helps you to develop a better understanding of grammar and structure of language.
Listening to Spanish music exposes us to the culture of the language we are learning - Music is a deep rooted part of a culture, and no more so than in America Latina. Listening to music can help us understand beliefs, practices and heritage of a region. It can also help us keep up to date with informal language and slang works that we might find difficult to come across elsewhere (dusty textbook be gone).
Listening to Spanish music helps improve our listening skills - When we listen to a song in another language we are compelled to pay close attention to the lyrics, melody and rhythm. When we connect with a piece of music we can get emotional, and guess what, emotions activate our memory processes. All this makes music a powerful tool for memorising new words (in a non-painful way).
It's a fun way to learn - Listening to music injects fun into language learning and is enjoyable. Singing along with lyrics is a fun way to practise Spanish while boosting our motivation and confidence. Listening to songs helps us remember words, phrases and sentences, putting them in a real-life context.
At Spanish Adventure, one of the regular projects we get to take part in is a Karaoke project. In groups we listen to and learn three songs to sing and perform in front of our classmates. It was so much fun getting to know a selection of songs I had never heard of before. I will always smile thinking of my classmates singing their heart out accompanied with some questionable dance moves.
Don’t know where to start when looking for Spanish music? Here’s a few songs I’ve been listening to on repeat:
Pa’ti no estoy, Rosana - I may or may not have whipped this number out at Spanish Adventure Karaoke Night. A legend in the hispanohablante world, this song is a little slice of history.
Atrévete-Te-Te, Calle 13 - the biggest tongue twister there ever was. I will get there one day. This is a great one to improve your pronunciation and really try and get round those vowels and consonants
Medellificación, Alcolirykoz, Jeronimo - Keeping it antioqueño
Shakira, Me Enamoré - no list would be complete without the Colombian legend Shakira. A tune to say the list. It is impossible to not come away chanting ‘mira, qué cosa bonita, qué boca más redondita, me gusta esa barbita’
Vivir Mi Vida, Marc Anthony - A classic. For beginners and advanced Spanish speakers alike, this one gets everyone singing along and dancing.
Keen to get started learning spanish? Check out the following:
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