Stop, Rock, n’ Roll: How Top British Rock Bands Can Help You Improve Your English

By Katie Collom

Learning a new language can be a really fun experience when you use alternative methods to help you on your path to proficiency. A variety of approaches, from online games to fiction novels, can assist you in solidifying your language skills and help you learn things you never would have learned in the classroom. Music is without a doubt one of the best and most convenient methods available (and possibly one of the most fun), because you can literally take it anywhere and listen to it at almost any time – whether on the bus, walking, reading, or studying. 

For those learning English, you may feel hard pressed to find solid rock bands in the USA, but the UK has more than made up for the deficiency with a plethora of home-grown rock group greats. Yeah, you know who they are: bands such as Muse, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, and many more have been tearing up the rock scene for years now (not to mention that not too far away the legendary band U2 made its start in Ireland), and these bands are easily recognisable to people from many parts of the world. This means that bands like these are ideal for perfecting language skills for a variety of reasons:

1. Accents don’t mean a thang! It’s unlikely you’ll be able to pick out a heavy English accent from most British rock bands. Why? Well singing requires a bit more enunciation (usually) than casual speaking, which means that accents aren’t as prominent. I’ve known people who can’t speak a word of English in their daily lives but sound like native English speakers when they sing. I like to call it the ‘strange disappearing accent’, but that’s not what’s important here, what matters is that you don’t have to be aiming to achieve a specific accent in order to take advantage of British rock music as a learning tool: it applies whether you’re learning American, British, or any other type of English. 


2. An elephant never forgets a catchy song. Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Or discovered you know the lyrics to a song you don’t particularly like but remember because it’s so catchy? Well, that’s the power of music, folks! Songs from British rock bands are played on the radio on a daily basis (I dare you to be able to go an hour without hearing at least one Coldplay song, go on, I dare you), which means that those lyrics are bound to stick in your brain. Music makes it easier to memorise and remember not only vocabulary but also simple sentence structures. So while you’re rocking along to David Bowie, you’re also simultaneously improving your linguistic abilities! 


3. Your brain can dance too. Studies have shown that music is excellent for studying. Listening to music while you are reading or studying increases your brain function and helps you to retain and learn at a more efficient pace. So while you’re drilling yourself on English nouns and verbs, it will definitely do you good to hit play on that favourite British rock band just for the benefit of your brain. Remember, a dancing brain is a happy brain! 


4. The fun starts…in your head? The best part about using music to learn a language is that it’s fun and easily accessible! You probably already had a few British rock band favourites before you even read this article right? Listening to them is never difficult because people usually enjoy music even when it’s not serving them as a learning tool. Just look at is as the added bonus to purchasing your favourite track: not only are The Beatles fun to listen to, but they are awesome English teachers! Who would have thought? 
   
   If the language learning process is enjoyable, it will be an easier journey and you’ll gain quicker proficiency through having fun with it! If you’d like to check out more alternative ways of studying any language, Language Trainers offers a variety of interesting articles you’ll find hard to pass up. But for now, turn up that Franz Ferdinand song and sing along! 

Katie is a writer and blogger for Language Trainers. Born in the USA and raised in Mexico, she has been navigating two starkly different cultures her entire life. Since obtaining a degree as a Professional Dancer and a B.A. in Asian Cultures and Languages, Katie has been traveling extensively throughout Asia teaching English, writing, and dancing along the way. Her passion lies in watching the arts – whether it be literature, music, or dance – develop in countries around the world. 

Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.