16 New Songs, and Step-by-Step Listening Is Back

The music category has grown. Sixteen songs have been added across rock, country, and pop, and every song in the category has been updated to the new player. One of the new songs, "I Knew It, I Knew You" by Taylor Swift, is free. The other fifteen are available to subscribers.

What Is New in the Music Category

The new titles span several decades and several styles of singing. Rock brings The Rolling Stones, Green Day, The White Stripes, and U2. Country brings Tucker Wetmore, Charles Wesley Godwin, and Ella Langley with Riley Green. Pop brings Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Elton John, Olivia Rodrigo, and Teddy Swims. One class will follow Olivia Rodrigo and go quiet for The Rolling Stones, and the next class will do the reverse, so the range gives teachers something to pick from rather than one house style of music.

Working Through a Song in Parts

The player now carries both options. Step-by-step divides the lyrics into short numbered sections. The class works on one section, and the song does not continue until Next is clicked. A section can be replayed on its own as many times as the class needs. Full song runs the lyrics through in one flow. Earlier versions offered one or the other, and each worked better with different classes, so the choice now belongs to the teacher. Quick groups move straight through. Slower groups stop, replay, and talk about what they heard without the rest of the song running away from them.

Multiple Choice or Fill in the Blank

Each song runs in two modes. Multiple choice presents two options for each gap and suits mixed classes or a first pass through unfamiliar lyrics. Fill in the blank removes that support and asks students to work the word out themselves. The mode can be switched at any point without losing the song position. Each song also carries comprehension questions, so the work does not have to stop at identifying single words, and a printable PDF worksheet is available from every song page.

The Lifeline

Fill in the blank can stall on one word. The lifeline converts that single gap into a multiple choice question while the rest of the song stays as it was, so a class can stay in the harder mode and still get past the line holding everyone up. A text size slider adjusts the lyrics, larger for a projector at the back of the room, smaller when a long section needs to fit on one screen.

Using It in Class

Try "Billie Jean" in multiple choice with step-by-step turned on. Play section one, pause, and let the class argue about whether the line is "beauty queen" or "duty queen" before anyone commits. The class may not settle it, and that is fine. The argument gives everyone a reason to hear the line again, and to listen harder the third time. Two or three sections make a warmer. When the work is done, switch to Full Song and play the track through so the class can follow the lyrics, or sing them.

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