Music Speaking Activity Conversation Questions

This speaking activity has conversation questions to practise describing music and talking about our experiences with music. It is part of a complete class on vocabulary of music from our Upper-Intermediate English course.

Describing Music

Listen to these examples of different types of music. For each one, think about how you would describe it. If you want to revise useful vocabulary for describing music, check out the main part of this lesson.

  • How does it make you feel? (Relaxed, happy, anxious etc..)
  • What adjectives would you use to describe it? (Relaxing, exciting, sad etc..)
  • What genre do you think it is?
  • What instruments can you hear?
  • When might you hear or listen to this type of music?
  • Do you like it? Why? Why not?

*All these examples are royalty free music provided by Pixabay.

Talking about Genres

  1. What’s your favourite genre of music?
  2. How would you describe this genre to someone who didn’t know anything about it?
  3. Why do you like this genre?
  4. Who are some of the best bands or musicians in this genre?
  5. Are there any genres of music that you don’t like?
  6. Why don’t you like this genre?
  7. Do people who listen to this genre act or dress in a certain way?

Live Music

  • Do you ever go to concerts?
  • What was the first concert that you ever went to?
  • What was the last concert that you went to?
  • What was the best concert that you have ever been to?
  • What was the worst concert that you have ever been to?
  • What was the biggest concert that you have ever been to?
  • Do you think that concerts are generally cheap or expensive?
  • What are the best venues to watch concerts where you live?

Playing Music

  • Can you play any musical instruments? How well? When did you start learning?
  • What instruments would you like to play?
  • What instruments do you think would be the most difficult to learn?
  • What instruments do you think sound really beautiful?
  • Are there any instruments that you think sound horrible?
  • Can you sing? Where do you sing? Have you ever sung karaoke?

Favourite Musicians

  • Who are your favourite band or musician?
  • Where are they from?
  • What type of music do they play?
  • When and how did you discover this band?
  • What do you really like about them?
  • What are their best songs or albums?
  • Do they have any songs or albums that you don’t like?

Listening to Music

  • How and when do you usually listen to music?
    • In the car?
    • On public transport?
    • At home?
  • Do you prefer listening to music with headphones or speakers?
  • How do you usually find new music?
  • Do you buy music or pay for a subscription to a music service?
  • Which of these formats do you use?
    • Streaming (Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music etc…)
    • Radio
    • Youtube
    • CD
    • Vinyl
    • Cassette
    • Other? Which?

Films and Music

  • Can you think of any films that have great soundtracks?
  • Can you think of any iconic scenes in films that have great music?
  • Can you think of any songs that became popular because they were used in films?
  • Do you like musicals? If so, which ones?

Special Songs

  • Are there any songs that are special to you or people that you care about?
  • Do any songs remind you of special times?
  • Are there any songs that have lyrics that you really love?
  • Has any song ever influenced your life or decisions?
  • Do you think that songs can change the world?