Intensive Listening Challenge – Instructions

Boys and Girls!
We’re starting an Intensive Listening Challenge on Monday, and I’m super excited to share it with you. We’ll be using Mika’s songs as the core of our challenge. I’ve chosen five short extracts (about 30 seconds each) that are not just catchy, but also rich in interesting vocabulary and great for sharpening your listening skills.

What’s the goal?

This challenge is all about improving your listening comprehension and vocabulary recognition. These are not just simple “la-la-la” lyrics – there’s real linguistic value here!

How will it work?

• Every day from Monday to Friday, I’ll send you either a video or a link (I’m still deciding which format will work best).
• Each day’s material will be a short listening extract (maximum 30 seconds) from one of Mika’s songs.
• You’ll be able to open it easily on your phone or computer.

What do you do with it?

There are two ways you can approach the task:

1. Simple version:
   Write down any individual words you clearly recognize. They don’t need to form full sentences – just capture what you can hear. This is a great starting point!
2. Advanced version:
   Try to reconstruct the full lyrics of the extract as you hear them. You can listen as many times as you like! Pause, rewind, and replay until you feel you’ve done your best.

Tips

• Don’t overwhelm yourself. If it feels difficult, take a break and return to it later.
• Keep your attention span in mind – it’s better to stay focused for a short time than to get frustrated.
• You have until midnight each day to submit your response. If I don’t hear from you by then, I’ll assume you’ve stepped away from the challenge.

What if I miss a day?
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No problem! The full challenge will be available in this special online portfolio, so you can always go back and catch up. Just note that only those who submit daily are part of the intensive version of the challenge.

Feedback

I’ll send you feedback or the correct lyrics as soon as possible – usually during my working hours. If you submit late in the evening, expect a reply the next day.

This is a fun way to train your ear, learn new vocabulary, and enjoy music at the same time. If you have any questions, just let me know.
Let’s do this – I’m cheering you on!