salty 🎵

The S.A.L.T. Program:
Sing-Along Language Training 🎼

Stop Translating. Start Speaking.

The Idea:

S.A.L.T. is a new way for Brazilian Portuguese speakers to learn conversational English. Instead of using grammar books and translation, we use the power of music and stories. You will learn English by singing famous songs and talking about the stories they tell. This helps you think in English without needing to translate in your head.

Who It's For:

This program is for you if you know some basic English but feel stuck and nervous in conversations. You do not need to be a good singer!

How It Works:

We meet online in small, friendly groups of 4-6 people. Each week, we explore one famous English song from the 60s, 70s, or 80s.

A typical 90-minute session is broken down into simple steps:

1. Listen and Feel: We listen to the song. We talk about the mood and the characters using simple English. Is the story happy or sad?

2. Discover the Story: We look at the lyrics line by line. When you hear a word you don't know, you ask about it in English. The teacher will explain it using simpler English words, pictures, or actions—never Portuguese.

3. Practice Pronunciation: We practice singing the tricky parts of the song. This is like a fun exercise for your mouth and ears to help you sound more natural when you speak.

4. Talk About It: We use the song's story to start a relaxed group conversation. You will practice using the new words naturally.

5. Sing Together!: Finally, we all sing the song together with a karaoke track. It's about having fun and building confidence, not being perfect.

What Makes S.A.L.T. Different?

Traditional Class 

• Focuses on grammar rules and translation.

• Can feel like a test, which is stressful.

• Teaches English as a subject to memorize. 

• Makes you think in Portuguese first.

The S.A.L.T. Program

• Focuses on the meaning and the story. You learn words by feeling them.

• Feels like a fun club or a group of friends. It’s a safe space to make mistakes.

• Trains English as a skill, like learning to ride a bike.

• Trains your brain to think directly in English by connecting words to music and emotions.

Your Result:

After five weeks, you won't just have a certificate. You will have the confidence to express yourself in real English conversations. You will have found your voice.

Ready to Find Your Voice?

Stop memorizing. Start feeling. Join a small group and experience the joy of speaking English.

Of course. This is an excellent selection of songs, rich with story and clear pronunciation challenges. The key is to order them from easiest to most challenging, both in terms of language and emotional weight.

Here is a new 5-week lesson plan for the S.A.L.T. program based on your chosen songs.

The 5-Week Song Journey

This journey is ordered to build skills step-by-step, starting with simpler melodies and clearer stories, and moving towards more complex pronunciation and deeper themes.

Week 1: The Simple Observation

Song: "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega

Story: A woman sits in a diner, observing the small, everyday moments around her while waiting for her coffee.

· Why It's First: This song is perfect to start. It has no music at first, just a spoken rhythm. This makes the pronunciation and rhythm of English very clear and easy to hear and mimic.

· Pronunciation Focus:

  · The American "T" sound in "Tom's," "waiting," "counter."

  · Linking words together naturally ("I am sitting" sounds like "I'm sittin'").

  · Listening for and repeating the exact rhythm of the words.

· Key Vocabulary: counter, stranger, shake, pray, catch her eye, shift.

· Discussion Themes:

  · "What small details does she see?"

  · "How does she feel? Bored? Lonely? Just thoughtful?"

  · "Tell us about a time you were people-watching."

Week 2: The Social Issue

Song: "Luka" by Suzanne Vega

Story: A song from the perspective of a quiet boy named Luka, who hints that he is being hurt by someone in his home but is too afraid to speak out directly.

· Why It's Second: The melody is still simple and repetitive, but the story is much heavier. It introduces more past tense verbs and allows for deeper, more sensitive conversation.

· Pronunciation Focus:

  · The long "I" sound in "I," "live," "upstairs."

  · The "th" sound in "think," "things," "them."

  · The soft "a" in "ask," "past."

· Key Vocabulary: live upstairs, guess, bother, slam, ask, past.

· Discussion Themes (Handle with care):

  · "What is happening to Luka? Why doesn't he just tell someone?"

  · "What does he mean, 'They only hear what they want to hear'?"

  · "How can we help people who might be in a situation like Luka's?"

Week 3: The Hopeful Escape

Song: "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

Story: A woman dreams of using a fast car to escape her life of poverty and responsibility, hoping her partner will help build a better future.

· Why It's Third: The story is powerful and relatable. The singing is clear and at a moderate pace, but the connected speech (linking words together) is a new challenge. It builds on the observation skills from Week 1.

· Pronunciation Focus:

  · The soft "r" sound in "car," "bar," "far," "work."

  · How words link together: "You got a fast car" sounds like "You gotta fast car."

  · The clear "t" at the end of words like "night," "light," "forget."

· Key Vocabulary: fast car, quit, job, check-out, shelter, belong, plain.

· Discussion Themes:

  · "What is her plan? Why does she need a 'fast car' to escape?"

  · "Does her partner help her? What happens to their dream?"

  · "What does 'escape' mean to you?"

Week 4: The Life Lesson

Song: "Flowers Are Red" by Harry Chapin

Story: A little boy who sees flowers in many colors is told by his teacher that he is wrong and that "flowers are red, green leaves are green." The song follows him as he loses his creativity and later repeats the same lesson to another child.

· Why It's Fourth: The story is a clear parable with a strong message. The language is simple and repetitive, making it excellent for vocabulary building. It's a good emotional step before the final week.

· Pronunciation Focus:

  · The colors: "Red," "Green," "Pink," "Blue," "Black," "Yellow."

  · The "th" sound in "there are," "other," "mother."

  · The past tense "-ed" in "colored," "answered," "remembered."

· Key Vocabulary: colors, paint, silly, way, remember, different.

· Discussion Themes:

  · "Was the teacher right or wrong? Why?"

  · "What happened to the boy's imagination?"

  · "When is it important to follow rules, and when is it important to be creative?"

Week 5: The Poignant Regret

Song: "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin

Story: A father is always too busy for his young son. Years pass, and when the father finally has time, the son is now too busy for him.

· Why It's Last (The Challenge): This song tells a complex story over many years. It uses sequencing words (first, then, next) and is packed with challenging vocabulary. The emotional story brings together all the discussion skills learned in previous weeks. It also explicitly teaches the ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) as a key part of the lesson.

· Pronunciation Focus:

  · The Big Challenge: The ordinal numbers "Fourth" and "FIFTH." We will practice the "f-th" sound combination explicitly.

  · The "a" sound in "cat" vs. "cradle."

  · Phrases like "silver spoon," "little boy blue," "man like me."

· Key Vocabulary: son, child, ten, degree, silver spoon, retire, grown up.

· Discussion Themes:

  · "What was the boy's promise? 'I'm gonna be like you, dad.'"

  · "Why was the father always busy? What is the lesson of the story?"

  · "What is more important than being busy?"

This 5-week plan provides a smooth and powerful learning journey, guiding students from simple observation to understanding complex stories of life and regret, all while building their conversational confidence step-by-step.

More salt:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YwD2ycqTmoN3PblHmCUft?si=iIkD7O1vQaKHhfKsdnOn-g&pi=bsOkfPr0QaGbw

Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan