Music is one of those magical classroom tools that almost everyone reacts to. Even the grumpiest student with their arms crossed and their hood up is still listening.
And when you use music well in adult ESL, it does a lot more than fill time. It gets people talking. It brings culture into the room and sneaks in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar practice without students groaning.
But let’s be clear. This is not about pressing play and hoping learning happens. And it’s also not about how to choose the best background music for keeping students awake and focused. These are practical ideas you can use tomorrow, or maybe even as soon as today.
So here they are, five practical, classroom-tested ways to use music in adult ESL classes that work for real adults with real lives and real opinions.
1. Share Time. Or, “This Song Matters to Me.”
This one is high impact, low effort for community building.
Before class, ask students to choose a song from their home country that they love. You can narrow it down by genre if you want. Or don’t. Let it be messy.
In class, each student shares the song, who sings it, what it’s about, and why it matters to them.
That’s it.
You will get stories. Memories. Cultural context you could never plan for. And students will listen to each other in a different way.
Your job during this activity is to encourage questions, help with vocabulary, gently push for full sentences, and resist the urge to overcorrect.
You can also turn this into targeted practice. Have students summarize lyrics. Explain a cultural reference. Describe the mood of the song. All useful. All natural.
Quick tip. Set time limits. Otherwise one student will bring a seven-minute epic and a full biography of the artist.
And yes, absolutely create a shared playlist afterward. Students love seeing their music treated like it matters. Because it does.
If your advanced students need something meatier, my Music Discussion Questions ↗ pair beautifully with this activity and save you a ton of prep time.
2. Lyrics = Vocabulary and Comprehension Practice Done Right
Lyrics are basically mini reading passages with a beat.
Choose songs with clear vocals, appropriate content, and lyrics you can actually hear without guessing. I don’t mean the entire song…that might leave out too many songs. But the vast majority of the song’s words should be clear. After all, if YOU can’t easily hear it, how can you expect your ESL students to?
Play the song once just to let them listen (and maybe set the mood). Then give students the lyrics and have them work in pairs or small groups to figure out:
- What is happening?
- What is the message?
- Which lines are confusing?
This is where the real learning happens. As a class, unpack it together. Clarify meaning, highlight useful phrases, and point out grammar in context. Not in a lecture-y way, more like a hey, look at what I just noticed way.
You can extend this by having students write a short summary, asking them to rewrite a verse in their own words, and assigning a few key words for dictionary work. Oh, and here’s a bonus! Students remember vocabulary tied to music way longer than vocabulary from a list.
3. Music Trivia That Reviews Language Without Feeling Like Review
This takes a bit of prep. I won’t lie. But it’s worth it.
Create a music trivia game with questions like:
- Who sings this song?
- What genre is this?
- Finish the lyric.
- Which country is the artist from?
Put students in teams and keep score. Play short clips. Warning: your room could get loud (but in a good way.)
You can sneak in grammar and vocabulary review by requiring full sentence answers, specific structures, and follow-up questions for bonus points. They’ll be too busy racking up the bonus points to notice that they’re using more grammar and vocabulary that way.
This works especially well at the end of a long week when everyone’s brain is tired and you need engagement without worksheets.
4. Pronunciation and Intonation Practice That Doesn’t Feel Awkward
Music is fantastic for pronunciation work, especially stress and rhythm. Here’s what you do: Pick a song with clear pronunciation. Play it once and have students focus only on the sound. Not meaning.
Then, isolate a line, repeat it together while exaggerating stress and intonation. Then, try it again more naturally.
Students can practice in pairs, then as a group. Singing is optional because humming works too. No one needs to feel exposed. My students were generally willing to demonstrate their own lack of musical ability after hearing me try my best. My performances are why the term “cringe” became so popular.
This activity is particularly helpful for students who struggle with sentence stress and connected speech. The melody does some of the work for you.
5. Music + Role Plays = Emotional Context in Speaking
This is one of my favorite combos for intermediate to advanced students. Use a song as the setup for a role play.
- Relationship song? Now it’s a first date. Or a break-up conversation.
- Song about work? Now it’s a conflict with a coworker or a conversation with a boss.
- Song about moving or change? Now it’s a goodbye, a decision, or a big life update.
Music gives students emotional context, which makes their speaking more natural and less robotic. Of course, you’ll want to choose a role play that matches the song you want to use, but if you want them to have some role plays where they practice talking about music, you’ll want to take a look at my Music Role Plays for Adult ESL.↗ With that, you’ll have scripts, scenario cards, vocabulary and more. It’s great for intermediate levels. And because it’s print and go, you walk in and teach. That’s it.
Need role plays on different themes? I just might have what you’re looking for. Click here↗ to go to my role play category in my TpT store.
Okay, but what about different levels and class sizes?
I hear you.
- For lower-level students, choose simpler songs, focus on listening and repeating, give lots of support, and keep tasks short and concrete.
- For higher-level students, analyze lyrics, discuss themes, write responses, and let them argue over interpretations. (I’ll admit that I have on occasion presented really out-there interpretations just to rile them up. hahaha~!)
- If you have large classes, use pairs and small groups, rotate activities, and keep your whole-class moments short.
- But, if you have small classes, go ahead and lean into discussions, let students present more, and encourage them to build deeper conversations.
Same activity. Different emphasis.
The Bottom Line
So… should you use music in adult ESL?
Yes. When it has a purpose. But remember that music doesn’t have to be a time filler or background ambiance. It’s a tool. And when you use it intentionally, it builds language skills and connection at the same time. And hey, if it saves your sanity during a long class? Even better!
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
Want some music-related resources to use with your adult ESL students?
These are available in my TpT store:
role plays . . . | | | . . . discussion topic cards
