Learning language through music: A strategy for building inspiration and motivation

Abstract

Abstract This article diverges from the usual concept of academic research by offering several contrasting sections: a very personal story about how the author (and his young daughter) approached learning English, a research section on motivation, a practical section on how to incorporate Hip Hop into language learning, and some final personal comments. The article explains the language learning strategy the author designed for building up his own inspiration and motivation. He uses the multistep strategy of language learning through his favorite musical style, Hip Hop. The steps include (a) choosing and simply enjoying the music, (b) analyzing the lyrics and creating a personalized textbook based on the lyrics, and (c) deepening the understanding of the underlying culture. This motivating strategy can be employed with any kind of music that has linguistically meaningful and culturally relevant lyrics.