1. Learning English
through music
• Speaker: Juan Felipe Suárez García, Teacher.
• Collaborators: Juan Felipe Montoya and
Angela Quiroz, Students.

2. Agenda
• Greeting the audience
• Introducing teacher and students
• Asking questions to the audience
• Sharing Teacher´s experience
• Sharing students´ experience
• Theory about music and Learning English
• Harvest of sorrow//Cosecha del dolor//Mies del dolor
• Let´s use: https://es.lyricstraining.com/
• Activity: “The show must go on”
• Analysis and discussion
• Evaluation of the event

3. Greeting the audience
•Welcome to this discussion
group, a place where you
can share your own
experiences with music
and English.

4. Introducing the teacher
• I am Juan Felipe, a teacher from a public school. Hispania,
Antioquia.
• I have been a University teacher for eleven years
• Right now, I am teaching English at UdeA, in the Antioquia
Southwest.
• Heavy metal fan.
• Passionate for the music and nature.
• Eager to learn and share new experiences.
• A little bit cranky and moody.

5. Students
Juan Felipe
• My name is Felipe Montoya.
• Student of cultural management.
• Passionate about writing and singing.
• Lover of good music.
• I have been learning English through music
since I was eleven years old.
• Curiosity is the engine to learn anything, even
English.

6. Students
Angela Daniela
● I am Angela Daniela, a psychology student in Antioquia´s
University.
● I am in fourth semester.
● I like pop, indie, rock and alternative metal music.
● My favorite band is System of a Down.
● I listen to music all the time, it makes me feel relaxed
● I love to know new cultures.
● I am a kind, loyal and a serious person.

7. Asking questions to the audience
• How are you feeling today?
• Do you like English?
• Do you like music?
• Is it posible to learn English or another
language through music?
• Have you used music for learning English?
• What is the best musical genre for learning
English?

8. Teacher´s experience
• A 17 years old boy, found in metal music a
way to learn and enjoy English.
• Interpretation is the key. Do not translate
anything.
• Dictionary, notebook, cd-player and pencil
• No having a beautiful voice.
• Self-satisfaction when understanding the
music.

9. Felipe´s experience
• I see English as a door that
expands your future.
• It is important to learn another
language, in this case English.
• It's very satisfying trying to strike
up a conversation with someone
more experienced
• It is vital to have confidence when
speaking in English, you must trust
your knowledge.

10. Angela´s experience
● Since 7 years old, I started to listen to music in
English.
● The music improves pronunciation and
listening.
● You can write in a paper some words that you
understand of the songs.
● To learn vocabulary, it is important to do an
association between unknown words and
images to remember easier.
● To improve your writing and listening, you can
play the game Lyrics training on the web.
● Enjoy to this process.

11. Theory about music and Learning
English
1. Choosing Good songs 2. Not too long3. Not
too fast 4. Clear
∙ Music///mind: music can help second language learners acquire
grammar and vocabulary and improve spelling.
∙ Mozart Effect: how musical training can impact brain development
and cognition listening to classical musical increases the
performance of mental tasks like learning.
• Hear everyday language and colloquial speech. English music
contains a lot of useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions. And
since the intended audience is native speakers, songs and music
include up-to-date language and colloquialisms

12. • “Music lessons during childhood seem to have a faster
brain response to speech much later in life”
• “Story songs which are presented with picture
illustrations, photos or gestures provide the necessary
extralinguistic support which results in language
acquisition”
• “Howard Gardner (1993). There exist eight
distinct intelligences; musical, spatial, logical, linguistic
(verbal) logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic
(movement), interpersonal (understanding others) and
intrapersonal (understanding self) and naturalist
(observing and understanding natural and human-made
patterns and systems).”

13. 8 steps
1. Go to the right places to find English songs
2. Select the right songs
3. Get “Scaffolding” and vocabulary support to understand
the lyrics
4. Study the lyrics and vocabulary
5. Sing along
6. Try to sing from memory
7. Periodically review
8. Find new music that builds on what you’ve learned

14. Harvest of sorrow//Cosecha del dolor//Mies del
dolor
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRQ2r
ym1JE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGosXtx
hfTg
• This song is written in Italian, German,
Portuguese, French, English and Spanish.
• Important fact, the translation varies from
language to language.

15. lyricstraining
• This is a website where people
can listen to their favorite
songs and improve listening
and speaking skills.
• There are many musical
genres such as: metal, pop,
romantic, electronic, etc.
• You can choose among four
levels. Beginner, intermediate,
advance or Expert.
• Then, there are two options:
Write mode or choice mode.

16. “The show must go on”
• For me, this is one the
most meaningful and
beautiful songs the band
could ever make
• This songs belongs to the
Album INNUENDO, the
last one he did, just
before he died.
• The songs says basically
that despite all troubles in
life, we must be stronger
and face everything with
our best attitude.

17. Analysis and discussion
• Do you like the song? Yes, Not. Why?
• What does it mean the title: “The show must go
on”?
• What kind of feelings do you get through the
song?
• Do you think He is trying to say farewell?
• Does the song invite people to do something?
What is it?
• “…My makeup may be flaking. But my smile,
still, stays on”- What do you interpret of it?

18. Bibliography
• Why Use Music in English Language Learning? A
Survey of the Literature. English Language Teaching;
Vol. 6, No. 2; 2013
• https://www.wqxr.org/story/after-mozart-effect-music-
impact-brain/
• Using Music to Enhance Second Language Acquisition:
From Theory to Practice.This article appeared in Lalas,
J. & Lee, S. (2002). Language, Literacy, and Academic
Development for English language Learners. Pearson
Educational Publishing.