Last week I bought a new Welsh language course – Cadw Sŵn – which uses a combination of classical music and stories to teach you the language. I think it’s based on the suggestopedia system. The course is being offered at half price and I want to brush up my Welsh, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The course consists of 20 stories based in the Welsh village of Aberarthur. The stories appear in Welsh and English in the course book, and are read aloud by the author, Colin Jones, on the accompanying CDs. You first listen to a piece of classical music, and Colin encourages you to relax. Then you listen to the story three times, once with no music, and twice with music in the background. After that you are advised to read and/or listen to the story again the next day, then to do the exercises in the book.

So far I’ve listened to the music and the first story. Later today I’ll read through the story again and do the exercises. I think this course is going to be fun. I like the idea of using stories, and the music is very pleasant to listen to. I don’t know if listening to it improves your memory, but I’m happy to try it.

Do you know of any similar courses for other languages?

Today I came across a website for (tin/penny/Irish) whistle players called Whistle This! which is based on an interesting idea: every two weeks a new tune is posted on the site with the sheet music, whistle notation and a recording. Visitors are invited to learn the tunes, record themselves playing them, and to send in their recordings, which others can then listen to and comment on. There is also a forum for whistle and music-related discussion. I plan to start learning the tunes and sending my recordings in, perhaps starting when the next tune is posted.

This concept could possibly be adapted for language learning. Instead of tunes you could have dialogues, extracts from literature, poems or short stories for people to learn, recite and record. Ideally you’d have native or fluent speakers providing the initial recordings. Maybe someone has already thought of this and a site or sites like this already exist, though I haven’t found any yet.

Listening to songs in languages you’re studying, learning what they mean and how to sing them are great ways to practise various language skills.

One of the first things that got me interested in Portuguese, Spanish, Irish and Scottish Gaelic was listening to songs in those languages. This also helps to sustain my interest in them. Since I started learning Welsh I’ve also become a big fan of Welsh language music. Before that I was only vaguely aware that there was a Welsh language music scene – it’s a bit like discovering a whole new country. I quite like some Mandarin and Cantonese music as well.

I’ve learnt quite a few songs in Irish, plus some in Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. I’d like to learn songs in other languages as well at some point. I find it quite difficult to memorise the words, but easier if I understand what they mean and can picture the things and events described in my head.

The other day I looked at my music library and discovered that the language in which I have most songs is Irish, followed by Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese. I also have a few songs in Latin, Taiwanese, Japanese, Manx, Breton, French, Cornish, Bulgarian, Serbian and Tibetan.

Do you listen to songs in languages other than your own? Which languages do you listen to?