English as a Singing Language: Recent Episodes
Singing Languages
Experienced ESL teachers, Ece and Heather, know that learning any language can be a challenge but can be more enjoyable when you add music. By using a wide variety of music types from different time periods, our goal is to make learning English easy and fun by singing your way to better English proficiency. In each episode, we will discuss the artist, the type of music, key vocabulary, and a specific language focus like pronunciation or grammar. You do not have to be a singing superstar to enjoy this podcast. We look forward to sharing our love of language learning and music with you!
It’s summertime where we live, and we’re busy soaking up the sun. In Season 3, Episode 2 of English as a Singing Language, we’ve got a catchy, sunny song that is full of useful vocabulary.
Sheryl Crow’s 2002 hit song, “Soak up the Sun,” will not only cheer you up and give you a positive outlook, but it will also give you lots of English practice!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIuEwXBktpY
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-3-episode-2Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of the podcast! We’re so excited about starting a new season of English as a Singing Language. We’re starting off the new season with a confidence-building song.
It seems like everyone feels like they have to pretend that they are someone they’re not sometimes, but it is important to be yourself. That’s the message in Montana Tucker’s 2021 hit song, “Be Myself.”
Check out the new season and practice reduced pronunciation with a catchy, fun song that has an extremely positive message!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-GNAkpo8PcFor more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-3-episodeFollow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
We started English as a Singing Language as a way for people to have fun singing while practicing English pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency. We work hard to make every episode as perfect as possible. We write and edit our scripts, and record and edit the audio. We try to be extremely serious and professional while we’re working on the podcast, but sometimes one of us makes a mistake, and we just laugh and laugh and laugh.
Ece has saved all the funny recording mistakes and compiled the best ones for you to enjoy while you wait for Season 3, Episode 1 to be released. We hope you enjoy this special blooper episode, and we look forward to releasing the first episode of Season 3 very soon.
🎶Until then, enjoy the bloopers and … just keep singing! 🎶
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-bloopers Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
When we started the podcast, “English as a Singing Language” back in 2022, it seemed almost impossible. There were so many new skills to learn and so many tasks to do. Luckily, we work well together, support each other, and enjoy the creative process. In fact, we believe that’s what friends are for! Friends are for encouragement, kindness and of course, lots of laughs. This belief led us to choose the 1980s hit song, “That’s What Friends are For,” for the final episode of Season Two.
There are useful pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary in this song, but most of all, we wanted to say, “Thank You!” to all of you who have taken the time to listen to the podcast, learn English and sing with us. That’s what the podcast is for - to connect us through song all over the world. We hope you enjoy this episode.
Until Season Three, have fun and … just keep singing!!
Official YouTube Video for original Rod Stewart Versionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIuEwXBktpY
Official YouTube Video for Dionne Warwick and Friends Version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyTpu6BmE88
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-16Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
English as a Singing Language has created an episode especially for International Workers’ Day on May 1st. We work hard as language teachers and podcasters, and we believe that ALL workers should be paid fairly and work in safe conditions.
We chose the 1980 hit song “9 to 5,” written and sung by Dolly Parton for the film, “9 to 5.” We talk about the descriptive vocabulary and useful idioms that Dolly included in these lyrics, and we celebrate workers all over the world!
Happy International Workers’ Day!!
Official YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbxUSsFXYo4For more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-15-1Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Both Heather and Ece are ready for a vacation after a long semester of teaching. While Ece is going to a nearby city to visit a friend, Heather is getting ready to go to the beach.
In this episode, they are talking about prepositional phrases in the song, "Under the Boardwalk," by The Drifters. Have fun learning some useful English grammar while listening to this doo-wop classic song from the 1960s!
Official YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSddD6w5SKcFor more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-14Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
There were so many inspirational and empowering songs to choose from for our International Women’s Day episode, we decided to include another song from our party playlist. Katy Perry’s 2013 hit pop song, “Roar” is the perfect song for building up your courage and finding your voice.This song is full of useful and interesting vocabulary, phrases and figurative language. It’s also really fun to sing! Check out this episode wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple podcasts, Spotify, or the English as a Singing Language website or YouTube channel. Make sure you follow us on Instagram, too!!Official YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKcFor more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-12Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
International Women’s Day is on March 8th. We like to think about all of the smart, strong, beautiful women we know on this day. In fact, Ece is planning a party to celebrate the day, and she is creating a playlist full of inspiring music. What is the first song she is going to add? It’s Rachel Platten’s 2015 hit, “Fight Song.”
This song has extremely inspiring lyrics, and it has great practice with the sounds [f] and [v]. We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating all of the women in your life. Happy International Women’s Day!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc
For more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-12
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Love and music are in the air! In this special Valentine’s Day episode of the podcast, Heather is worried that she doesn’t have enough days in the week to finish all of the things on her to-do list. Ece introduces The Beatles’s 1964 hit song, “Eight Days a Week,” and we talk about simple present and imperative verbs. We also talk about how great it would be to actually have eight days in a week!
Listeners, eight days in a week is not enough to show you how much we care about you! We did, however, make a video version of this episode for our YouTube channel. We hope you enjoy this episode and we wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEJd2RyGm8Q
For more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-11
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
We hope your new year is off to a good start. If your new year’s resolution is to improve your English language ability, and you want some inspiration, we encourage you to take a listen to this episode.
Most people worry about what others think sometimes, and in this episode, we are using the hit song, “This is Me,” from the 2017 film, “The Greatest Showman,” to talk about accepting yourself and having a positive attitude.
The language focus of this song is the pronunciation of the schwa sound in unstressed syllables. The schwa sound is part of what gives English the rhythm and sound that it has. This song will help you sing your way to natural-sounding English!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEJd2RyGm8Q
For more content, visit For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-10
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
What’s the weather like where you are? It’s definitely winter where we are, and Ece is once again trying to get Heather to enjoy the cold and snow. In this episode, we’re using Ariana Grande’s hit song, “Winter Things,” to talk about useful words for everyday conversation, and some special winter-themed vocabulary, too!
Grab your hat and your gloves and get ready to visualize yourself doing some winter things like skating, skiing… and singing!!
Check out our YouTube channel @singinglanguages for a video version of this episode!
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-9
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Do you like to practice perfect pronunciation? If you said “yes,” then this episode is for you. This song has many examples of aspiration. If you don’t know what this is, you should definitely listen to this episode. There is plenty of pronunciation practice, and a song with a good message.
In this episode, we’re talking about Joni Mitchell’s hit 1970 song, “Big Yellow Taxi.” In addition to pronunciation, we also discuss the idea of “taking something for granted.” Isn’t it true that you don’t know what you have until it's gone?
The most recent episode of the podcast featured the song, “Adventurous Girl,” which was written and sung by our friend and fellow language teacher, Patti Spinner. We were so excited to meet someone who loves using music to teach and learn language as much as we do - some people might even say more! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to Patti and ask her about her experience as a teacher and singer/grammar songwriter!
In this special Connections Episode, we would like to share our interview with Patti Spinner. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
L-Pop Website
https://lpop.commons.msu.edu/
About Patti Spinner, Ph.D.
https://people.cal.msu.edu/spinnerp/
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-connections-episode-patti-spinner-interview
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Have you ever climbed a mountain? Have you ever flown in a plane? What kinds of adventures have you had? There is something extra special about the song featured in this episode. This song was written and sung by a friend of the podcast, and it is part of a series of songs that were created specifically to practice different grammar points in English! In this episode, we’re talking about the adventures that we have or haven’t had using the present perfect tense.
The song in this episode, “Adventurous Girl,” by our friend, Patti Spinner, is full of examples of the present perfect verb tense. You may not have heard this song on the radio before, but we’re sure you’re going to enjoy listening to it and singing along!
Adventurous Girl Lesson
https://lpop.commons.msu.edu/lesson-1/
L-Pop Website
https://lpop.commons.msu.edu/
About Patti Spinner, Ph.D.
https://people.cal.msu.edu/spinnerp/
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-7
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
In each season, we have to include at least one fun, silly traditional folk song that might be considered a “children’s song,” but is actually for everyone! The traditional folk song, “Down by the Bay,” was recorded by the children’s artist, Raffi, in the 1970’s. People of all ages can enjoy creating rhyming lyrics of their own.
For example, Ece came up with, “Have you ever seen Heather, enjoying cold weather?” (No, nobody has ever seen this!) Heather’s lyrics were, “Have you ever seen a teacher chasing a creature?” (No, but we’ve seen several creatures chasing teachers!) We hope you have fun inventing your own lyrics to this singalong song!!
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWKVKfk6e40
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-6
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Heather is getting together with her friends from high school, and she’s putting together a playlist of songs from the 80s that they can listen to. One song in particular catches her attention, and it turns out it is a great song for talking about past, present and future tense verbs.In this episode, Ece and Heather are talking about Tracy Chapman’s 1988 song, “Fast Car.” It’s a song that tells the story of a young person who is facing choices, remembering the past, facing the present and looking ahead to the future.
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4
Luke Combs Cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st6XCAv0E4M
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-5
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Ece is extremely busy and she’s feeling a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, she runs into Heather at the park by the river. Heather convinces her that she needs to relax and listen to the sound of sunshine. Does sunshine make a sound? It does when you’re listening to Michael Franti’s 2010 hit song, “The Sound of Sunshine.”
This upbeat, fun song is great for practicing fluency. It might seem way too fast the first time you listen, but we’re confident that with a little practice you will be singing along and enjoying the song. Join us for a relaxing, end-of-summer singalong.
Official YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqgHosrqJ8o
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-4
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel @singinglanguages.
https://www.youtube.com/@singinglanguages
Heather is feeling a little down because of some negative comments on a photo she posted on Instagram (you can follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages). Fortunately, Ece is there to remind her that life’s too short to worry about what someone on Instagram thinks. She recommends the 2022 hit song, “Life’s Too Short,” by the K-pop band aespa.
This song is full of really useful conversational English. Maybe right now you’re “bored out of your mind” and you need something to do. We suggest that you listen to this episode of the podcast and learn some practical, fun English phrases!
YouTube Videos
English Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ZjutyxmjA
Korean Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOR9h6uKptg
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-3
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Ece is planning a block party in her neighborhood, and she needs the perfect song for her summer playlist. Heather suggests the 1964 Motown hit, “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas. It’s the perfect song for a summer party that is, or that’s, full of singin’ and dancin’!
This episode focuses on contractions and reductions. You may have noticed when talking with proficient English speakers, (people who have a very high level of English), that they do not, or don’t, pronounce every sound of every word carefully. This song provides great practice with how and where to use contractions and reductions, and it’s perfect for dancin’ in the street!
YouTube Videos
Martha and the Vandellas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Uv959QuCg
David Bowie + Mick Jagger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HasaQvHCv4w
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-2
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
In this episode, Heather is feeling nervous about an upcoming project. It is something new that she hasn’t done before, and she’s working in a place she has never been before. Luckily, Ece has the perfect song for the occasion.
In this episode, we’re going to be using Shakira’s 2016 hit song, “Try Everything,” to talk about phrasal verbs. What are phrasal verbs? We encourage you to check out this episode and find out!
Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TO48Cnl66w
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-2-episode-1
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
We always encourage our listeners to not be afraid to make mistakes. Making a mistake is a great chance to learn. But sometimes, all we can do when we make a mistake is laugh. We write scripts and practice before we record, but we still make mistakes. All we do is stop, laugh and then start again. Ece has saved her favorite mistakes, or “bloopers,” from Season One of the podcast. While we’re waiting for Season Two, we thought you might enjoy listening to our blooper reel.
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/season-1-bloopers
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Welcome to the final episode in Season One of the English as a Singing Language podcast. When we got this crazy idea, we had no idea if we would be able to actually create even one episode. Here we are, one year later, and we’ve released a total of 17 episodes. There are songs from different artists, decades and styles. We’ve talked about pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
What makes the whole process most enjoyable for us is you, our listeners. We hope you have enjoyed the podcast and you have learned some new English skills along the way. We want to thank you for giving us the best time of our lives!! And don’t worry, we’re already hard at work on Season Two!!
Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TO48Cnl66w
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-16
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Ece is doing some online shopping and she’s feeling a little frustrated. This leads to a discussion about the importance of things that money just can’t buy. Can money buy you love? No, no, no, nooooooooo!
In this episode, we’re listening to the Beatles 1964 hit song, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and we’re focusing on real conditionals in grammar. If you don’t love this song, we will be very surprised!
Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBB_QOZNEdc
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-15
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
It’s finally spring where we are, and we are so excited to see the bird in a nest, the nest on a branch and the green grass growing all around!! And what do all of these things have in common? They all have at least one consonant cluster.
We’re going way, way back in time to the 1800s for this song! It’s a traditional folk song called, “The Green Grass Grows all Around,” and it’s great practice for those tricky consonant clusters. Join us for this episode to learn a song that you will be singing for days!
Official YouTube Video of Barney Version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBB_QOZNEdc
Official YouTube Video of Jewel Version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI4-230geDs
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-14
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
March 8th is International Women’s Day. Ece is planning a party to celebrate with her friends and will certainly include the song for this week, Hailee Steinfeld’s 2017 hit pop song, “Most Girls,” on the playlist for the party.In this episode, we are practicing intonation used for items in a list and some useful, common reductions. We think you’ll find this episode interesting, useful, and fun. Take a listen and celebrate the smart, strong, beautiful women in your life!Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBB_QOZNEdcFor more content, visit the Singing Languages website.https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-13Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
This week’s episode is a special edition of the podcast. Like many of you, we both felt sad and helpless after seeing the suffering caused by the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria last month. Therefore, we decided to take our feelings and put them into a podcast episode.
We are shining a bright light on an outstanding organization located in Hatay, Türkiye, called “Be the Voice of Girls.” https://bethevoiceofgirls.org/
The episode introduces the 2009 hit song, “Wavin’ Flag,” by the Somali-Canadian performer, K’naan. The grammar focus is one-syllable comparative adjectives.
Take a moment to listen to the episode and find out about this inspiring organization and the amazing woman behind it.
Official YouTube Video of the Original Version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrurenhpPxE
Official YouTube Video of the FIFA World Cup Coca Cola version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJSt4wP2ME
Official YouTube Video of the Young Artists for Haiti Version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB7L1BIDELc
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website. https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/special-episode-be-the-voice-of-girls
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Please consider making a donation to the relief efforts in Türkiye and Syria.
English Language Fellows with assignments in Türkiye have set up a donation site to make a direct, local impact on the affected areas.
https://chuffed.org/project/96147-support-earthquake-victims-in-turkey-and-syria?fbclid=PAAaa6yxHFYJprV_F2CZqqV8ABLX5neAzuIjgp_iO6sDkrw-RaIY7-DshbmWc
In addition, our contact with Be the Voice of Girls shared two organizations making a significant impact in Gaziantep, which was 20 miles from the epicenter of the February 6 earthquake.
These foundations don't use third party sites to accept donations, so information on how to access the bank information to make a wire transfer is included below.
Empati Foundation - http://www.empati.org.tr/
- Empati About Us page in English - http://www.empati.org.tr/about_us-36-35-1
- Link to the Instagram post for information on how to donate - https://www.instagram.com/p/Coa0mfWK-m3
Gaziantep Help Foundation - http://www.gaziantepyardimvakfi.org/
- After clicking the link above, a pop-up window should appear with the bank information.
Are you a person who loves learning English? We know you must be someone who loves English grammar as much as we do. And, speaking of love, English as a Singing Language has a love song for this episode - just in time for Valentine’s Day!💗
Episode 12 features the 1988 song, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), by the Scottish duo, The Proclaimers. We’re going to discuss love, grammar, and Scottish English. We think you’re gonna love it!
Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ9usrpAPao
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-12
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
Are you ready for even more winter fun? In Episode 11 of English as a Singing Language, Ece is trying to get Heather to relax and not get so upset about small, unimportant things. In other words, Ece thinks she should, “Let it Go!”
This song, originally featured in the Disney animated film, “Frozen,” is full of descriptive verbs and brilliant imagery. It’s also a great song to practice some rhyming words. Join us for the first episode of 2023!
Official YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk
Official YouTube Video (sing-along version) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MK7qz13bU
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home/post/episode-11
Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
We’re ending 2022 and welcoming 2023. English as a Singing Language has a dynamite song prepared to bring in the new year. Join Ece and Heather to start 2023 with the international smash hit, “Dynamite,” from the K-pop sensation BTS.
In Episode 10, we’re going to talk about all of the cultural references and cool expressions in the song lyrics. We’ll also talk about some of the reductions that can increase our fluency when speaking – and singing – in English!
Official YouTube Video
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Winter is on its way, and not everyone is a fan of the cold! In this episode, Ece and Heather are discussing the traditional holiday song, “Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” The language focus for this episode is linking words and descriptive adjectives.
Come join Ece and Heather in a winter wonderland! Grab a cup of hot chocolate, pull up a seat by the fireplace and enjoy Episode 9!
YouTube Video of the Original 1946 Song - Vaughn Monroe with the Norton Sisters
Official YouTube Video of the Pentatonix 2016 Version
For more content and links to additional versions of this song, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Go Team! Let’s go!! Ece and Heather are talking about Jamaican singer OMI’s hit song from the 2010’s, “Cheerleader.” This is an extremely fun song that is fun for both singing and dancing. This episode focuses on pronunciation of that tricky final “r” sound found in the English spoken in the Northern parts of North America.
Ece and Heather are cheering for you! Join them for Episode 8!
Official YouTube Video of the Original
Official YouTube Video of the Felix Jaehn Remix
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
This week’s episode comes straight from the 1980’s! We’re talking about Suzanne Vega’s hit song, “Tom’s Diner.” We are having a great time with the podcast, and we hope that you are listening to every episode! We’re talking about the present progressive verb tense, and we are throwing in a little vocabulary, too.
What are you waiting for? We’re learning and singing English together!
Official YouTube Video
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
In this episode, Ece and Heather are going back in time to 1960’s Motown with a song by The Temptations called, “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” We’re going to have some good times, because this song is full of rhymes! In addition to rhyming words, we’ve also included some sentence intonation and even a little bit of grammar!
We hope you’re enjoying learning English with the podcast and singing out loud after every episode.
YouTube Video for Original Song by The Temptations
Official YouTube Video for Cover Song by UB40
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Hosts Ece and Heather are staying in the 2000’s for this episode. Ece is trying to finish an exciting book, and that leads to an interesting discussion about Natasha Beddingfield’s 2004 song, Unwritten.
There is a mountain of useful and descriptive vocabulary in this song. After you listen to the podcast, make sure that you listen to the song and sing out loud.
Official YouTube Video
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
For this episode, Ece and Heather are jumping ahead to the 2000’s. Heather is feeling self-conscious about her dancing skills and Ece decides to use the 2013 song “Shake,” sung by Victoria Justice. After listening to the encouraging and inspiring lyrics, Heather starts to feel more confident and she’s ready to shake what her mama gave her.
In addition to being great to dance to, this song is also fantastic for practicing reductions and sentence intonation. As always, make sure that you sing out loud with the song after you listen to the podcast!
Official YouTube Video
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Ece and Heather have decided to stay in the 70’s for this episode. Even though she has prepared for her upcoming presentation, Ece is lacking confidence. However, after they talk about the 1977 rock anthem, “We Are The Champions,” by the British band Queen, from their album, News of the World, Ece feels like she can do anything!
This song focuses on the present perfect verb tense. Therefore, after you have listened to the podcast, make sure that you listen to the song and sing along.
Official Video on Youtube
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Hosts Ece and Heather travel back in time to the 1970’s for this song. In this episode, Heather is feeling a bit sad, and Ece uses the 1972 reggae-influenced song, “I Can See Clearly,” by Johnny Nash to cheer her up.
In this song, there are some useful reductions of words like “can” and “going to” that you’ll have fun singing and then be able to use in your English conversation. Don’t forget to listen and sing along after you listen to the episode.
Official Video on Youtube
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Follow us on Instagram.
Sometimes, something good can come from a broken heart, and in this case, it’s improved English ability! But seriously, we couldn’t think of a better song than Taylor Swift’s 2012 pop song, “I knew you were trouble,” from her album, Red, for our first episode.
In this song, there are a wide variety of verb tenses, from the past, to the present, to the future. After you listen to the episode, make sure to listen to the song and sing along.
Official Video on Youtube
For more content, visit the Singing Languages website.
Join podcast hosts Ece and Heather for, English as a Singing Language. The hosts are both experienced language teachers who love to use songs and music to help students learn English. Different songs focus on different language features. The podcast will cover pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary using a wide variety of music from across many decades. As Ece and Heather always say, “Have fun and...just keep singing!” Transcript E: Hi! I’m Ece. H: And I’m Heather. We are the hosts of the podcast English as a Singing Language. Ece and I both know from personal experience that learning any language can be challenging. I’ve learned Spanish! E: I’ve also learned Spanish! HE: Hola! H: I’ve studied Chinese 你好! E: And I know some German Guten Tag! H: I’ve started learning French Bon jour! E: And I grew up speaking Turkish Merhaba! Learning any language is hard! There are so many grammar rules to learn and so much vocabulary to memorize. H: And then there is also trying to pronounce new sounds that your mouth has never made before. It can be so frustrating!! But one thing Ece and I have both learned, as language learners and language teachers, is that any language is more enjoyable when you add music. E: That’s right. We have created English as a Singing Language for both English language learners and English language teachers. By using a wide variety of music types from different time periods, our goal is to make learning English easy and fun. H: In each episode, we will talk about the singer, the type of music and the vocabulary and phrases needed to understand the song. E: In addition, every song will have a specific language focus. Some songs will feature pronunciation, while others will talk about useful vocabulary or grammar. H: In the end, we want to have a great time while we sing our way to better English. E: And, I want to note that you do NOT have to be a singing superstar to enjoy this podcast. H: That’s right. Nobody is judging your singing! We look forward to sharing our love of language learning and music with you in the coming episodes. Until then, have fun and HE: just keep singing!
Learn English with Ece and Heather. Each episode will feature a different song and each song will have a different language focus. We’ll learn about and practice English pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. Have fun singing your way to better English!