Adele – Hello

Today we’ve had a whole lesson about Adele and her new hit. I would like to know why the success, why all this fuss around her. Who knows?

The truth is this song is in my head since the moment I heard it for the first time. Isn’t it in yours?

Here you can see the videos we saw in class, in case you fancy watching them again.

 

 

Vinyl survival

This article has been written by Gustavo Díaz from Avanzado 2. 

The way people listen to music has changed drastically throughout the years. Currently, we have access to any kind of music just in a few seconds. However, why are vinyl records increasing their sales?

     Both CDs in the nineties and MP3 in the new century made vinyl records disappear almost completely due to several factors. For instance, both of them are more convenient to bring with you wherever you want to play them. Moreover, the CD was much more difficult to damage and was perceived by the public to be better sounding.

     Nevertheless, in the last six years, vinyl sales have tripled. In the first part of 2014, Billboard counted 6.5 million units sold. Currently, vinyl represents 3.5 percent of overall music sales, while a decade ago it was only a 0.2 percent. As a result, Digital Downloads and CDs still constitute the majority, but sales for those formats are down.

     Finally, it is also worth mentioning the emotional difference between vinyl albums and digital downloads. It could be the answer to the vinyl revival. You can download as much music as you can from thousands of groups, but people usually listen to the same songs repeatedly. Listening to vinyl is a special experience. You cannot do it at work or in the car. Consequently, you will be practically forced to listen to all the songs, which will make you appreciate it more. As Charles Lamb said ‘Contented with little, yet wishing for more’.

      In my opinion, vinyl discs are an amazing way to enjoy music. They create an incredible atmosphere since you see the cover art. Definitely, this classic format has returned to stay.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5KwwnkyLCY

The Power of Music

Music

Whether you like music or not, you will be surprised when you read this presentation. Music can have an enormous effect on us and it can be highly addictive. To know more about this topic, please read the presentation below.

If you want to know more about this topic, just take a look at the following video:

If you want to experience the power of music inside you, just play this video and close your eyes…

 

Congrats, Laura and Cornelia for this amazing presentation.

A Kiss to Build a Dream on

Taken from IMBD. Clink on the picture to find out more information about this film.

After watching the three last minutes of the film Sleepless in Seatle I decided to listen to its soundtrack for the hundreth time in my life. And when I heard A Kiss to Build a Dream On I suddenly remembered the infinitive structures we had been dealing with some weeks ago.

When I was a student I had a never-failing technique to memorise new structures, and it was trying to remember sentences from songs which included the structures I had to learn.

Remember, for example, that some weeks ago we used the song How to Save a Life from The Fray to learn inversion.

Well, what I wanted to tell you is that you can use the song A Kiss to Build a Dream On to learn infinitive structures, especially those ending with a preposition. I know they drive you crazy.

If you don’t know this song yet, it’s time you listen to it for the first time and try to remember its first sentence, once you memorise its structure, you’ll be able to adapt it to your needs.

I also encourage you to watch Sleepless in Seatle if you haven’t yet. But I warn you, Meg Ryan is the star and you know what all her films are like, but if you like her style, this is definitely your film .

Finally I leave you this link with the list of songs you can find in the Soundtrack of Sleepless in Seatle, its one of the best selection of songs I’ve ever heard. Enjoy!!!!

Soundhound

Soundhound is a free mobile application which is available for iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android and Ovi phones. I discovered it yesterday and I think it can be used for autonomous learning.

These are the features of this app:

• What’s that song: You only have to approach the mic of your device to a source of music and it will recognise the song in seconds. You can also sing the song yourself or hum it. Its results are incredible.
• Say search: You can say the name of an aritst or song and find the results.
• iPod integration: The app can access your library for you to play your music directly from the app and thus obtain further information as lyrics, artist, etc.
• Lyrics: You can find the lyrics of a song directly on the app at the same time as you listen to the song.
• Links: When you select a song, you’ll find links to the iTunes Store, youtube and Twitter.
• Sharing: You will be able to share your music to your favourite social networks directly from the app.
• Discovery: You can use the app to discover different song from the same artist or from related artists.
• Spotify: On your iPad you will be able to listen to your song on Spotify.

I find this app ideal as any learner can listen to a song and read its lyrics to practise vocabulary or pronunciation. I also enjoy playing music in class and I’m sure this app will help me find new things for my students. I already love this app. Why don’t you try it yourself?

You can also read this article here.