A CONVERSATION WITH KARA JACOBS
If you’ve ever wanted to bring more music into your world language classroom, you’re not alone. Music connects students to emotion, culture, and identity — it’s universal! But here’s the challenge many of us face: how do we make authentic songs comprehensible? And if you are also looking for strategies to make authentic resources comprehensible for your intermediate students, click here.
In this week’s episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sat down with the amazing Kara Jacobs, a veteran teacher known for her culture-rich, acquisition-driven units that use songs and music videos to engage learners at every level.
Kara and I talked about how to use music as a powerful tool for language acquisition, cultural connection, and joyful learning. Whether you teach Spanish, French, German, or any other language — these ideas work for you.
Why Music
Music offers what Kara calls “triple input” — it brings together sound, text, and visuals. This combination can be incredibly powerful for language learning because students are hearing authentic speech, seeing meaning through visuals that often are full of cultural insights, and reading along with subtitles or lyrics.
But here’s the truth: most songs are not written for learners. The lyrics can be too poetic or abstract. So, how do we make them accessible while keeping them authentic?
Kara’s answer was simple but brilliant:
“Tell the story behind the song.”
Instead of starting with the lyrics, she starts with a story — something short, engaging, and comprehensible — that connects to the video or theme of the song. Then the song becomes the “sweet spot” of the unit, where meaning, rhythm, and emotion come together naturally.
The process of using music
1. Start with What’s Compelling — Not the Grammar
Many teachers (me included!) have once asked, “Is there a good song to teach the past tense or the subjunctive?” Kara gently reminds us that’s the wrong question.
Songs shouldn’t serve grammar — they should serve engagement and communication. Instead, she recommends starting with what’s compelling: a story, a music video, or a message students care about.
“It’s not about finding a song for a grammar point. It’s about finding a story that makes students care.”
2. Create a Story Before You Play the Song
Before pressing play, Kara builds engagement and curiosity through a short, simple story that includes characters or situations from the music video and/or the song.
Once the story is written, here’s what students can do:
- Students listen and draw while the teacher narrates.
- They answer personalized questions using target structures.
- They retell or sequence events with visuals.
When they finally watch the music video, the connection happens instantly — comprehension, emotion, and curiosity all come together.
3. Use the Power of “Triple Input”
Every song gives students three ways to connect with language:
- 🎧 Audio: rhythm and catchy chorus
- 👀 Visual: context clues, cultural insights, and storytelling
- 📜 Text: lyrics, subtitles, or short stories
Kara calls this “triple input.” Even if students don’t understand every word, they feel the meaning through repetition and visuals — which is exactly how real-world acquisition happens.
Making Lyrics Comprehensible
One of the most powerful shifts in Kara’s approach is how she handles translation. Instead of avoiding it, she embraces it.
“If students are going to sing the song, they deserve to know what they’re singing.”
Providing an English version of the lyrics doesn’t break the immersion — it builds meaning. When students know what the words express, they connect emotionally. Sometimes a poetic line becomes unforgettable simply because they understand it deeply.
And when the song is too advanced? She pulls out one or two lines that are comprehensible and builds the story around them. The rest can just be enjoyed for rhythm and cultural context.
Practical Strategies for Every Level
For Novice Learners
- Write a simple story with high-frequency verbs and visuals.
- Use listen-and-draw or match the image activities.
- Introduce a few chorus lines with gestures or movement.
- Assess comprehension with Cierto/Falso, short answers, or acting out the story.
For Intermediate Learners
- Connect the song to a film, reader, or cultural topic.
- Explore cultural readings or articles related to the song’s setting or artist.
- Analyze selected lyrics (not the entire song). Use tools like ChatGPT to create simplified versions for matching or interpretation.
- Encourage output through illustrations, discussions, or writing reflections.
For Advanced or Mixed Classes
Music is a perfect bridge for heritage speakers and second-language learners.
- Heritage learners can dive deeper into cultural context and nuance, while others focus on comprehension.
- Everyone benefits from discussing the same authentic resource, just at different levels of depth.
“A super simple story plus an authentic song benefits everyone — heritage speakers, novices, and everyone in between.”
Real Culture, Real Connection
Kara reminded me how songs open windows to the wider world. In just a few classes, students might listen to Bad Bunny’s “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii” to discuss gentrification in Puerto Rico, explore Ana Tijoux’s protest songs from Chile, or dance to Álvaro Soler’s “La Cintura” while reading, listening and using a lot of language.
Authentic music videos show real products, practices, and perspectives, exposing learners to accents, dialects, and cultural symbols they’d never find in a textbook.
As Kara said:
“Music videos are my way to show students the world — and remind them that language is alive.”
Pro Tips for Getting Started
If this feels like a lot — start small. Kara’s advice for beginners:
- Pick one compelling video. Look for something with a story, a twist, or clear visuals.
- Write a short story inspired by it — 10 lines max, using simple, high-frequency language.
- Use screenshots to connect text and visuals.
- Include the song lyrics in both the target and common language.
- Add a simple assessment: matching, true/false, or character Q&A.
That’s it. 🎯 One song, one story, one experience your students won’t forget.
And as you repeat the process, you’ll get faster and more creative — just like Kara, who’s been refining her approach for over a decade.
🎧 Listen & Connect
Listen to our episode here in Apple, or here in Spotify.
Also, here you’ll find some free resources created by Kara Jacobs, filled with incredible, ready-to-teach units that blend authentic songs, stories, and culture — all designed to make input comprehensible and engaging.
They’re the perfect place to start if you want to bring music and meaning into your classroom without all the prep!
GREAT OPPORTUNITY
Kara and AnneMarie Chase are hosting a 10-day professional development experience in Segovia, Spain this summer! 🇪🇸 It’s a mix of cultural immersion, workshops, and homestays designed to help teachers grow their practice while living the language. Details are available HERE.
💬 Join the Conversation
What song or artist are you thinking of bringing into your classroom next?
Share your ideas and tag @growingwithproficiency on Instagram — I’d love to see how you’re using music to make language learning joyful, comprehensible, and full of culture.
And don’t forget to listen to the full episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast wherever you get your podcasts — Spotify, Apple, or right on growingwithproficiency.com/podcast.
