Hola!
One very fun and exciting way that I use to keep up with my Spanish is by listening to Reggaeton. I currently have Bad Bunny’s new album YHLQMDLG* on repeat at my apartment and can’t get enough of it.
*YHLQMDLG stands for “Yo hago lo que me da la gana” which translates to “I do whatever I feel like”.
Music in general can be an amazing tool to spice up your language learning regimen.
In addition to learning Spanish, I find it to be an incredible way to develop a connection with Latin culture. You hear words you don’t hear in class, you learn about people and places through song references and most importantly you just feel the rhythm of the culture.
Music is so important for my language learning that I’d even argue that your language learning plan is incomplete if you aren’t listening to music in Spanish.
How to discover music
The most difficult part is finding music in Spanish that you like. I recommend that you use the curated playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. Listen to any and all genres. I had no idea that I liked Bachata music until last year and now it’s one of my favorite genres. You might be a gigantic Cumbia fan and not even know it.
Example Spotify Genre Playlists
• Reggaeton
• Salsa
• Bachata
• Cumbia
So, here’s what you should do:
Once you find an artist or song that you like, here’s what I do and what I recommend:
- Look up the lyrics
- Memorize the chorus of the song and practicing signing it in real time. This trains your ear and improves your pronunciation to work at the speed you need in real life.
- Try to understand the meaning through context and look up words when necessary
- Enjoy the music!
Tips:
- Don’t worry about learning the meaning of all of the lyrics. Think about how many songs in English that you don’t understand.
- Passive listening serves a purpose too! But don’t expect to make huge language strides listening passively.
Parley Blue and music
Here at Parley Blue we incorporate music into our lessons. In many of our lessons, we insert clips of songs and ask our students to listen carefully to try to understand what the lyrics are saying. Through this active listening, the students are getting much needed listening practice without the help of lyrics.
We strive to strike a balance between introducing music to our students and making recommendations off their music taste.
If you’d like to take your Spanish to the next level through interactive methods such as listening to music, please reach out to us here at Parley Blue.
Saludos,
Charlie
Here’s are my two favorite songs from the album: