ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Articles

Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Melodies that Build Listening: Enhancing Undergraduate Students’ Listening Comprehension through Popular English Songs

Submitted
20 August 2026
Published
2026-09-30

Abstract

Listening is one of the most important language skills for the successful communication. Yet it is difficult for the Undergraduate Students’ of English because they experience unfamiliar pronunciation, vocabulary, and varying rates of speech. Traditional Learning Exercise based on textbooks and recorded audios. It doesn’t maintain learners’ listening. Popular English music provides an engaging alternative because songs combine Language, rhythm, pitch and tone, pronunciation, repetition, and emotion. This article explains the teaching value of popular English songs in developing the listening skills of undergraduate students. Popular English Songs such as Taylor Swift’s Shake it off, Adele’s Someone Like You, and Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud can be integrated into structured classroom activities involving lyric identification, vocabulary recognition, pronunciation awareness, listening with sequence, and shadow listening. This article presents a song-based listening method. It guides students from first listening to deep understanding and personal response. It also explains how technology helps provide flexible, repeated practice for every learner. Using popular English music with focused tasks helps Undergraduate students improve their listening skills, hear sounds better, learn new words, speak more clearly, and understand spoken English.

References

  1. “Adele - Someone Like You.” YouTube, uploaded by Adele, 30 Sept. 2011, https://youtu.be/hLQl3WQQoQ0.
  2. Afriyuninda, E., and L. Oktaviani. “The Use of English Songs to Improve English Students’ Listening Skills.” Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, vol. 2, no. 2, 2021, pp. 80–85. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v2i2.1442.
  3. Ahmadi, Seyedeh Masoumeh. “The Importance of Listening Comprehension in Language Learning.” 2016, pp. 7–10.
  4. Altun, Mustafa. “A Review of Listening Skills in Language Learning.” International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2023, pp. 56–61. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v10i1p56.
  5. Baills, Florence, et al. “Listening to Songs and Singing Benefited Initial Stages of Second Language Pronunciation but Not Recall of Word Meaning.” Language Learning, vol. 71, no. 2, 2021, pp. 369–413. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12442.
  6. Berdaq, Turejanova Altinay Aleuatdinovna. “Podcasts and Traditional Audio Textbooks: A Comparative Analysis of Effectiveness.” Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 64, 2026, pp. 121–128, https://www.in-academy.uz/index.php/EJSSPC/article/view/389.
  7. Chofifah, Ummi, et al. “EFL Students’ Experiences with the Role of Lyrics in Song-Based Listening Activities.” NOBEL Journal of Literature and Language Teaching, vol. 17, no. 1, 2026, pp. 18–31. https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2026.17.1.18-31.
  8. Dordevic, Ana. “A Consideration of the Relationship between Music and Collective Identity: From the Viewpoint of Cultural Psychology of Music.” Etnoantropoloski Problemi—Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology, vol. 15, no. 3, 2020, pp. 899–915. https://doi.org/10.21301/eap.v15i3.11.
  9. “Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud.” YouTube, uploaded by Ed Sheeran, 7 Oct. 2014, https://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA.
  10. Khudarganova, Gulira’no Farkhod kizi. “The Effectiveness of Songs in Teaching English to Young Learners: A Literature Review.” American Journal of Philological Sciences, Nov. 2025,
  11. https://doi.org/10.37547/ajps/volume05issue11-53.
  12. Krishnaswami, Ravi. “Music Psychology and the Origins of Mood Tagging in Production Music Libraries.” Music, Sound, and the Moving Image, vol. 18, no. 2, 2024, pp. 157–176. https://doi.org/10.3828/msmi.2024.11.
  13. Lee, J. H. “Using Popular Music as a Teaching Tool: A Literature Review.” Asia-Pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology, vol. 5, no. 1, 2015, pp. 99–106. https://doi.org/10.14257/AJMAHS.2015.02.07.
  14. Salainti, E., and W. Pratiwi. “The Role of Digital Technology in Supporting Students’ Listening Skills through Digital Music Platforms and Podcasts: A Literature Review.” Klasikal: Journal of Education, Language Teaching and Science, 2021. https://doi.org/10.52208/klasikal.v3i3.109.
  15. Salcedo, Claudia S. “The Effects of Songs in the Foreign Language Classroom on Text Recall, Delayed Text Recall and Involuntary Mental Rehearsal.” Journal of College Teaching & Learning, vol. 9, no. 2, 2012, pp. 75–84.
  16. Schoepp, K. “Reasons for Using Songs in the ESL/EFL Classroom.” The Internet TESL Journal, vol. 7, no. 2, 2001, pp. 1–4.
  17. Septaviani, Vinni, et al. “The Correlation between Students’ Habit in Listening to English Songs and Listening Comprehension.” Datokarama English Education Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 2023, pp. 14–21. https://doi.org/10.24239/dee.v4i1.63.
  18. Sila, Sava Farhan, and Muhammad Handi Gunawan. “The Utilisation of YouTube for Extensive Listening: Voices from the Lecturers and Students.” FRASA: English Education and Literature Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2025, pp. 182–200.
  19. “Taylor Swift - Shake It Off.” YouTube, uploaded by Taylor Swift, 27 Oct. 2023, https://youtu.be/mvVBuG4IOW4.
  20. Thohir, Nurul Husnawati Fadil, and Audy Yundayani. “Authentic Materials in EFL Learning: Examining Their Effects on Students’ Intrinsic Motivation and Listening Skills.” International Journal of English Language and Pedagogy, vol. 4, no. 1, 2026. https://doi.org/10.33830/ijelp.v4i1.14807.
  21. Umam, M. Nafingul, et al. “Using Podcasts to Improve Listening and Speaking Skills: A Literature Review.” Proceedings of the Al Ghazali International Conference, vol. 3, no. 1, 2025.
  22. Urbaite, Gerda. “Learning Languages through Music and Songs: Cognitive, Pedagogical, and Affective Dimensions.” Porta Universorum, vol. 10, no. 4, 2022. https://doi.org/10.69760/portuni.0104004.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.