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Sometimes you don't even have to work with a song directly. The appeal modern pop stars have to the students might make them more interested in engaging with spoken and written English. Choose the right pop star that represents the dialect related to the region that you intend to portray (e.g. the one that the school book is primarily set in). This can help identifying differences in the accent and other aspects of dialects but also help raise learners' intercultural understanding.

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Macklemore's dialect features some aspects of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) which could be interesting to identify with upper-level students. Some contents of the video and the language used (including the hard-to-understand rap sections) also make it a good fit for this target audience.

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Learn English with TAYLOR SWIFT — Funny Stories

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Analysis of an interview with pop/country music star Taylor Swift specifically geared towards language learning

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Analysis of an interview with pop/country music star Taylor Swift specifically geared towards language learning

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This is a very interesting analysis of the interview for high-level students. It focuses on advanced English vocabulary and pronunciation.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLuZ0WMyr9U - March 29, 2025

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Learn English with TAYLOR SWIFT — Funny Stories

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This song is quite easy to understand, features some mild metaphors and should also appeal to younger learners. Additionally, Ed Sheeran is a good example for British English. It's only his Suffolk dialect that keeps him from being the perfect example for more advanced learners.

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Choosing songs they like is often helpful but you can also try something different:

You could “shock” them with something extraordinary that most of them didn’t know/expect like a song that combines pop and metal music.  Choose something that you think is not too distracting from a musical standpoint but may be “controversial” so it can trigger discussions. Let them discuss while making sure they do so in English! ;-)

The following example should work very well and deals with the serious but very relevant topic of how living your dream can drain your mental and also physical health. It is also about believing in yourself and coming back stronger after setbacks.

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- Motivation of a person is the consequence of different types of motivation.

- Pop music helps to connect to the students’ real-life interests and can thereby also give them a sense of competence (Attribution Theory).

-  Students expect success in topics that they feel familiar with (Expectancy-Value Theory).

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This study by Theresa Summer that first discusses previous research in this subject and analyzes the linguistic aspects relevant for teaching with pop music but also covers the different aspects of learning potential and ideas how to implement teaching with pop music.

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Summer, Theresa (2018). “An Analysis of Pop Songs for Teaching English as a Foreign Language” In The Language of Pop Culture, edited by Valentin Werner, 187-209. New York: Routledge.

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Summer (2018) - An analysis of pop songs for TEFL

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This overview taken from the study by Summer provides a good overview of the many benefits that teaching English with the help of songs can have.

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Identify goals and design tasks accordingly

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Identify goals and design tasks accordingly

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Since pop songs and the available materials connected vary I do not provide specific tasks. Make sure to always keep in mind which goals related to your learners' language skills and intercultural understanding you want to achieve. This overview is from the Summer study as well and provides some help for the process of designing tasks. For more detail read pp. 203 - 207.

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- Don’t just rely on schoolbooks or the songs provided in this collection. Choose pop songs that are more recent, that have a high appeal to a large number of students and that relate to topics you want to cover best.

- Why? School books get outdated on a regular basis, but Pop songs do so even quicker. If you really want to activate personal learner interest, choose songs that they know and like. Maybe give them a choice between 2-3 suitable songs the lesson before and find/create the materials for the song they pick afterwards.

- Be sure that the lyrics are either easy enough to understand while listening or provide them in written form at the right time. Sometimes it can be intentional to let that be after the first listen to see how much the students understood on their own. Beware that there will be a wide gap between students in that regard and understanding the individual level of each student can be a valuable resource.

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You decide which ones might be suitable for your students/teaching and which ones are just good for you own amusement. ;-)

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Meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/lingling40hrs/comments/ehdjxo/pop_culture_classical_music_is_boring_also_pop/ - March 17, 2021

Canon by Johann Pachelbel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nX_ReyaetE - March 30, 2025

Memories by Maroon 5:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPhMPnQ58k - March 30, 2025

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https://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https://ahseeit.com//king-include/uploads/2020/11/97939011_255716078856715_449606160166530598_n-1074611022.jpg&imgrefurl=https://ahseeit.com/?qa%3D37447/think-im-gonna-listen-to-some-music-while-do-my-homework-meme&tbnid=WasaQ4J6dzG3oM&vet=1&docid=gPbggm9Puwm1MM&w=750&h=668&hl=de-de&source=sh/x/im - March 17, 2021

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You can start off with the lyric video or just play the song

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You can start off with the lyric video or just play the song

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfM7ekcelpE - March 30, 2025

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Music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMt7kvgzRM – March 17, 2021

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/I-prevail-hurricane-lyrics - March 17, 2021

- This example might be suitable for older learners since the lyrics are more complex than a typical Pop song and also cover the topic of mental health issues which is only appropriate for older learners.

- You could use the audio and lyrics first and build some tasks around that before showing them the video and let the singer of the band tell their own story behind the song.

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https://www.tiktok.com/@steven_fsr/video/7449041820069252374?lang=de-DE&q=When%20the%20teacher%20plays%20your%20favorite%20song%20in%20class&t=1743269516919 - March 29, 2025

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@Joel Deezl @Exproz #steven_fsr #fy #fyp #rawstyle 

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@steven_fsr
@Joel Deezl @Exproz #steven_fsr #fy #fyp #rawstyle
♬ Originalton - HARDCORE VIBES🕺

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Zandaya interview which is a great example of real-world American English

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Zandaya interview which is a great example of real-world American English

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This interview portrays very well-understandable American English in everyday use. Due to this and its setting it should be suitable for younger learners. Just take this as an example and find similar examples most suitable for your specific group of EFL learners.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuengVxrfVQ - March 29, 2025

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Work with the lyrics and discuss how they tie in with what the band stated in the music video

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Work with the lyrics and discuss how they tie in with what the band stated in the music video

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https://genius.com/I-prevail-hurricane-lyrics - March 30th, 2025

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Sorry, we have to make sure you’re a human before we can show you this page.

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Additional research that focuses on the effects of making music for foreign language acquisition

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Additional research that focuses on the effects of making music for foreign language acquisition

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Take this as a little hint for this entire topic. Make sure to cooperate with your colleagues who teach music to your English classes.

Maybe you can find songs that work for both subjects and involve active musical engagement or maybe a music teacher might be interested in making the students write their own songs. Such shared projects that involve a diverse set of skills linking to different areas of the brain present a fantastic learning opportunity.

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Willems, A. (2023). Musik zur Förderung fremdsprachlicher Kompetenzen: Einblicke in den Forschungsstand mit einem Exkurs in die romanischen Sprachen. Fremdsprachen Lehren und Lernen, 52(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.24053/FLuL-2023-0004

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Willems (2023) - Musik zu Förderung fremdsprachlicher Kompetenzen

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British pop star Dua Lipa interviewed by US late night show host portraying the differences between British and American English accents

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British pop star Dua Lipa interviewed by US late night show host portraying the differences between British and American English accents

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If you use this interview for high-level students you can check out her song "Boys Will Be Boys" as well. It covers the very important topic of public safety for women and criticizes the social acceptance of gender-related roles. It is quite cynical and provocative though, so make sure to disclaim the controversy of the subject in time and make sure that discussions remain respectful.

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Interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUIR4jpSR_8 - March 30, 2025

Boys Will Be Boys (song):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0QWX2M7W7M - March 30, 2025

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What Time Does Dua Lipa Go To Sleep After A Show?

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Lyric video, so that the faster sections are better understood

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Lyric video, so that the faster sections are better understood

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTyEsIMefzc - March 30, 2025

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Macklemore - Glorious ft.Skylar Grey (Lyrics) "I feel glorious glorious" (tiktok)

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Adorable video with his grandmother that gives the song a new layer of meaning

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Adorable video with his grandmother that gives the song a new layer of meaning

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrLroFa0AI - March 30, 2025

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MACKLEMORE FEAT SKYLAR GREY - GLORIOUS (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qp5vcuMIlk - March 30, 2025

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Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill [Official Lyric Video]

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Interview with Macklemore about the music video

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Interview with Macklemore about the music video

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrs_PmyVSnI - March 30, 2025

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Macklemore on shooting a music video with his 100-year-old grandmother

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDITdS3Nu5k - March 30, 2025

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Robin & Adele break down Castle On The Hill with Ed Sheeran

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https://stevegoold.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/music-what-happened.jpeg - March 30, 2025

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This is a classic to any student who has remotely been in contact with any kind of internet community. Nobody will suspect anything no matter how you access this video. Neither the thumbnail nor the title are giving it away and there is also no pre-roll advertisements.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcDdbZQc03A - March 31, 2025

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If you don't find the right topic in pop songs...

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If you don't find the right topic in pop songs...

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...or feel like the language in use is not challenging enough for advanced learners take a look at rock and metal artists as well. Many pop songs revolve around the topics of love and intimacy or the loss of those.

If you're looking for thematic diversity, more serious subjects with critical reflection and clever metaphorical use of the English language then there is a lot of options in these genres. Hip hop is likely also a great genre to look at but since I am an expert for modern rock and metal I'll provide a few more examples for everyone interested below. Feel free to add similarly advanced examples regardless of the genre in the comments of this post.

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Add. example 1: Help Is On The Way by Rise Against

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Add. example 1: Help Is On The Way by Rise Against

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A very critical song from the perspective of the victims of natural disasters, war etc. which makes it more relevant than ever. While it is a modern (punk) rock song it should still appeal to many students since it is rather lyrically heavy than musically.

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Music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiqGqoIGII - March 31, 2025

Lyrics:

https://genius.com/Rise-against-help-is-on-the-way-lyrics - March 31, 2025

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Add. example 2: Silence Speaks by While She Sleeps & Oli Sykes

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Add. example 2: Silence Speaks by While She Sleeps & Oli Sykes

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A critical song about not raising your voice when necessary. The band is from the UK and wrote the lyrics as a result of the political situation surrounding the Brexit. The heavy music and screaming fit the song's meaning very well.

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Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JWf2pdlMos - March 31, 2025

Lyrics:

https://genius.com/While-she-sleeps-silence-speaks-lyrics - March 31, 2025

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WHILE SHE SLEEPS - Silence Speaks Feat. Oli Sykes (BRING ME THE HORIZON) (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

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Add. example 3: Modern Misery by Architects

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Add. example 3: Modern Misery by Architects

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Musically quite heavy but with brilliantly written socio-critical lyrics.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T35p44JQ4Uk - March 31, 2025