Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.
Lesson Info
Lesson Content
Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio
Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice
Language: Words That Go Together, New Sentences
Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions
Answers
(1) When you listen to a song for the first time, what do you notice most? Why?
a) The beat
b) The words
c) The melody
(2) If you could suddenly play any musical instrument well, which would you choose, and what would you play first?
Vocab List
After a serious motorcycle accident, music teacher Edward Freytag struggled to remember things and find words. But his brain injury also brought an unexpected change: he could hear music in a completely new way.
About two weeks after the crash, he turned on the car radio and began identifying musical notes and chords just by hearing them. He could see the written music in his mind. Although he had been a professional musician for decades, this had never happened before. He had developed “perfect pitch”—the ability to name a musical note just by hearing it.
His creativity changed, too. One morning, he discovered a piece of music more than 50 pages long on his computer. He did not remember writing it. His wife explained that he had been getting up at night to compose. The music was more unusual and complex than his usual work, with parts even he found difficult to understand.
As his brain healed, his memory and self-control improved. He became more like his old self. However, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
Freytag continued composing and performing. He was proud of his later pieces, but none were quite like the unusual music he had written during recovery. Getting better had brought something valuable back—and taken something special away.
An Unexpected Change in a Musician’s Mind
(1) When you listen to a song for the first time, what do you notice most? Why?
a) The beat
b) The words
c) The melody
(2) If you could suddenly play any musical instrument well, which would you choose, and what would you play first?
-
note (n.)
-
chord (n.)
-
perfect pitch (n. phrase)
-
creativity (n.)
-
compose (v.)
-
self-control (n.)
-
fade (v.)
-
recovery (n.)
After a serious motorcycle accident, music teacher Edward Freytag struggled to remember things and find words. But his brain injury also brought an unexpected change: he could hear music in a completely new way.
About two weeks after the crash, he turned on the car radio and began identifying musical notes and chords just by hearing them. He could see the written music in his mind. Although he had been a professional musician for decades, this had never happened before. He had developed “perfect pitch”—the ability to name a musical note just by hearing it.
His creativity changed, too. One morning, he discovered a piece of music more than 50 pages long on his computer. He did not remember writing it. His wife explained that he had been getting up at night to compose. The music was more unusual and complex than his usual work, with parts even he found difficult to understand.
As his brain healed, his memory and self-control improved. He became more like his old self. However, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
Freytag continued composing and performing. He was proud of his later pieces, but none were quite like the unusual music he had written during recovery. Getting better had brought something valuable back—and taken something special away.
Main Idea
Choose one answer, then click CHECK to see your result.
Main Idea
Choose one:
- A musician’s brain injury revealed surprising musical abilities that went far beyond what he had developed through years of training. Correct answer
- A musician’s recovery restored his everyday abilities but took away the unusual musical gifts that had appeared after his injury.
- A musician’s return to composing showed that he could still create valuable music after the difficulties caused by his injury.
True or False
Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.
True or False
1. Freytag had learned to identify notes just by hearing them during his professional career, before the accident. TRUEFALSE False
2. Freytag's wife helped explain how a long piece of music had appeared on his computer. TRUEFALSE True
3. As Freytag's memory improved, his new musical abilities became stronger. TRUEFALSE False
4. Freytag valued his later compositions even though they were different from the unusual music he wrote during recovery. TRUEFALSE True
Put Events in Order
Put the events in the order they happened, from first to last.
- 1 Freytag suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
- 2 About two weeks later, he discovered he could identify notes just by hearing them.
- 3 One morning, he found a long piece of music he did not remember writing.
- 4 As his brain healed, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
- 5 He continued composing, but his later music was different from his unusual recovery pieces.
Put Events in Order
Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (5):
- One morning, he found a long piece of music he did not remember writing.
- He continued composing, but his later music was different from his unusual recovery pieces.
- Freytag suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
- As his brain healed, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
- About two weeks later, he discovered he could identify notes just by hearing them.
- Freytag suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
- About two weeks later, he discovered he could identify notes just by hearing them.
- One morning, he found a long piece of music he did not remember writing.
- As his brain healed, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
- He continued composing, but his later music was different from his unusual recovery pieces.
Multiple Choice
Answer each question by selecting A, B, or C, then click CHECK to see your results.
Multiple Choice
1. Which difficulties did Freytag face after his brain injury?
a) Reading written music and following familiar rhythms.
b) Remembering things and finding the words he wanted.Correct
c) Recognizing voices and understanding spoken questions.
2. What happened when Freytag listened to the car radio during his recovery?
a) He remembered old pieces and pictured himself performing them.
b) He heard new melodies and planned to record them at home.
c) He identified notes and pictured the written music in his mind.Correct
3. What shows how different his recovery-time composition was from his usual work?
a) It was so complex that he struggled to understand parts of it.Correct
b) It was written for instruments that he had recently started learning.
c) It combined several shorter pieces he had written before the accident.
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:
After a serious motorcycle accident, music teacher Edward Freytag struggled to (1) things and find words. But his brain injury also brought an unexpected change: he could hear music in a completely new way.
About two weeks after the crash, he turned on the car (2) and began identifying musical notes and chords just by hearing them. He could see the written music in his mind. Although he had been a professional musician for decades, this had never happened before. He had (3) “perfect pitch”—the ability to name a musical note just by hearing it.
His creativity changed, too. One morning, he discovered a piece of music more than 50 pages long on his (4) . He did not remember writing it. His wife explained that he had been getting up at night to compose. The music was more unusual and complex than his usual work, with parts even he found difficult to understand.
As his brain healed, his memory and self-control (5) . He became more like his old self. However, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
Freytag continued composing and performing. He was (6) of his later pieces, but none were quite like the unusual music he had written during recovery. Getting better had brought something valuable back—and taken something special away.
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
Loading listening activity...
Words That Go Together
Drag each word to its match below, or select a word and then select its match:
Loading vocabulary activity...
Words That Go Together
Match each word with the words it goes with:
1. seriouse) accident
2. braind) injury
3. perfectc) pitch
4. composeb) music
5. improvea) memory
a) memory
b) music
c) pitch
d) injury
e) accident
New Sentences
Choose the best word for each new sentence.
-
The singer held the final {blank} until she ran out of breath.
-
The beginner's fingers hurt as he held a difficult {blank} on the guitar.
-
The art teacher praised her {blank} after seeing a dress made from newspaper.
-
The theatre asked her to {blank} music for its new play.
-
It took all his {blank} to stay polite when the customer insulted him.
-
The bright colours on the curtains began to {blank} after years in sunlight.
New Sentences
chord / compose / creativity / fade / note / perfect pitch / self-control
- The singer held the final until she ran out of breath.
- The beginner's fingers hurt as he held a difficult on the guitar.
- The art teacher praised her after seeing a dress made from newspaper.
- The theatre asked her to music for its new play.
- It took all his to stay polite when the customer insulted him.
- The bright colours on the curtains began to after years in sunlight.
Discussion Builder
1) Contrast 2) Example
Q: How do you think it feels to get better after an injury but lose a special ability at the same time?
A:Q: What’s a sound you can recognize immediately?
A:
Discussion Builder
Choose the best phrase for each gap:
Q: How do you think it feels to get better after an injury but lose a special ability at the same time?
A: I'd feel glad to have my health back. I'd miss the special ability I'd lost.
On the other hand, / As a result,
I'd feel glad to have my health back. On the other hand, I'd miss the special ability I'd lost.
Q: What’s a sound you can recognize immediately?
A: I recognize my family's voices immediately. I know it's my sister as soon as she says hello.
However, / For example,
I recognize my family's voices immediately. For example, I know it's my sister as soon as she says hello.
Discussion Questions
- How do you think it feels to get better after an injury but lose a special ability at the same time?
- How would you react if you found something you’d created but couldn’t remember making it?
- Would you like to have perfect pitch?
- What’s a sound you can recognize immediately?
- What piece of music brings back a strong memory for you?
- When do you get your best creative ideas?
- Which matters more for becoming a good musician: natural ability or regular practice?
- Do you think people can have hidden abilities they don't know about?
Discussion Questions
- How do you think it feels to get better after an injury but lose a special ability at the same time?
- How would you react if you found something you’d created but couldn’t remember making it?
- Would you like to have perfect pitch?
- What’s a sound you can recognize immediately?
- What piece of music brings back a strong memory for you?
- When do you get your best creative ideas?
- Which matters more for becoming a good musician: natural ability or regular practice?
- Do you think people can have hidden abilities they don't know about?
Answers
Listening: (1) remember, (2) radio, (3) developed, (4) computer, (5) improved, (6) proud
Main Idea: A musician’s brain injury revealed surprising musical abilities that went far beyond what he had developed through years of training.
True or False:
- False. Although he had been a professional musician for decades, this ability first appeared after the accident.
- True. He did not remember writing it. His wife explained that he had been getting up at night to compose.
- False. His memory and self-control improved as his brain healed, while his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
- True. He was proud of his later pieces, but none were quite like the music he had written during recovery.
Multiple Choice: b, c, a
Put Events in Order:
- Freytag suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
- About two weeks later, he discovered he could identify notes just by hearing them.
- One morning, he found a long piece of music he did not remember writing.
- As his brain healed, his perfect pitch and new creative ability faded.
- He continued composing, but his later music was different from his unusual recovery pieces.
Vocabulary:
- serious: accident
- brain: injury
- perfect: pitch
- compose: music
- improve: memory
New Sentences: 1. note; 2. chord; 3. creativity; 4. compose; 5. self-control; 6. fade
Discussion Builder:
Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Example.
- On the other hand,
- For example,