This course uses music to help you learn a new language

Learning a language can take a while. It can require years of homework or tutoring sessions, and you have to hold yourself accountable when it comes to studying. Everyone who has studied a language knows how hard it can be to retain what you learn, and how easy it is to forget it all. But if you’re just looking to navigate casual conversations or communicate in everyday situations — like going to a restaurant or introducing yourself — maybe formal language classes aren’t what you need.

Repetition and rhythm are two crucial components to learning a language. Repetition is an old-school favorite when it comes to memorizing words and phrases and just getting the language in your ear. Rhythm is what helps make another language feel and sound more natural. While it’s not something that you can learn from reading a textbook, you can use it to your advantage when it comes to learning a language faster and more accurately.

The Earworms MBT Language Learning Bundle Vol. 1-3 ($14.99, valued at $29.99; stacksocial.com) is a language learning program based on music. Its name refers to that phenomenon where a catchy song gets stuck in your head and won’t go away. The course uses the same principle to teach you a new language. You’ll listen to music that’s filled with rhythmic repetitions to start learning verbs, nouns, useful words and phrases. Eventually, you’ll be able to navigate common situations, talk about yourself, hold a general conversation and mix and match vocabulary. The technology was developed by language teaching experts, who realized that music can act as a catalyst for memorizing words. It also helps in anchoring new vocabulary into your long-term memory.

Listening to music puts your brain in a relaxed state of alertness, known as the alpha state. This turns out to be an ideal condition for learning. The sound patterns of the music work in conjunction with the rhythmic repetitions of language, which help you to process the words and language in your aural cortex — where words are recalled. The idea is that these words and phrases you hear will make their way into your deep memory, making for an enjoyable and effortless learning process.

Each course comes with a helpful phrase book that contains the words and phrases you’ll learn, along with their phonetic pronunciations. You’ll have lifetime access to the course audio and materials, and can upload them to your iPod, iPhone, Android or other MP3 device for learning on the go.

While this course won’t teach you intricate grammatical patterns, it could be great for picking up conversational Spanish, French, Italian or German in a short time. You’ll also be better equipped to function in a foreign country, since absorbing rhythmic patterns of the language will help you to sound more natural when you speak. So why not give it a try? Knowing basic phrases and being able to hold your own in a conversation can make a huge difference in a foreign country, and for its reduced price of $14.99, we’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

This article originally appeared here