Music has charms to soothe the savage breast

Lady Gaga's Perfect Ilusion: an interview

Conversation Questions

Music

A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.

• What kind of music do you like?

• Are you a good singer?

• Can you concentrate on other things when you are listening to music?

• Can you play a musical instrument?

◦ If so, what do you play?

◦ How long have you been playing?

◦ Are you good at it?

• Can you play the drums?

• Can you play the guitar?

• Can you read music?

• Do you enjoy music videos?

• Do you ever listen to MP3 files on your computer?

• Do you have an expensive stereo system? 

• Do you know the band named Metallica? If so, do you like them?

• Do you like all kinds of music?

• Do you like American rock bands?

• Do you like country music?

• Do you like heavy metal bands like Megadeath, Marilyn Manson, and so on?

• Do you like jazz?

• Do you like to listen classical music?

• Do you like to listen country music?

◦ Who is your favorite country singer?

• Do you like to listen to Broadway musicals?

◦ What is your favorite Broadway musical show?

• Do you like punk music?

• Do you like singing karaoke? 

◦ How often do you sing karaoke?

• Do you like to dance?

• Do you listen to music while doing your homework?

• Do you sing while taking a bath?

• Do you think there is a relationship between drugs and music? 

◦ How about violence and music?

• Do you think your favorite music twenty years from now will be the same as it is today?

• Do you watch music shows on TV? If so, what do you watch?

• Does you mother play the piano?

• Have you ever been to a concert?

◦ Have you ever been to a rock concert?

◦ Have you ever been to an orchestra concert?

• Have you ever taken part in a singing competition?

• How does music make you feel?

• How many CD's do you have?

• How much time do you spend listening to music?

• How often do you listen to music? (...to classical music, ... to jazz, ...)

• How often do you listen to the radio?

• If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be?

• If you could start a band, what type of music would you play? Why?

• If you were a song, what song would you be and why?

• Is live music popular in your country?

• Is there any kind of music that you hate?

• Should music lyrics be rated similar to the way movies are rated?

• What are some concerts you have been to?

• What are some special or traditional musical instruments in your country?

• What do you think the world would be like without music?

• What do you think of manufactured bands? Can you name any?

• What is one of your favorite songs?

◦ Why do you like it?

◦ When did you first hear it?

◦ Who sings it?

• What is your favorite karaoke song to sing?

• What is your favorite kind of music?

• What kind of music do you like?

• What kind of music do you listen to to cheer you up?

• What kind of music do you usually listen to?

• What kind of music do your parents listen to?

• What kind of music you like the most?

• What kind of songs do you like to sing?

• What kinds of music do people listen to in your country?

• What kinds of music do you dislike?

• What musicians did you like when you were in junior high school? How about high school?

• What radio station do you usually listen to?

• What was the last CD you bought?

• What was the last concert you went to?

• What was your favorite music five years ago? 10 years ago? How have your musical tastes changed?

• When was the last time you went dancing?

• When was the last time you went to a concert?

• Where do you usually listen to music?

• Which do you prefer, songs in English or songs in your own language?

• Who is your favorite singer or group?

• Who is your favorite singer?

• Why do you think music is important and how does it affect different people?

• Why is music so important to people and culture?

• Is the image of the group or singer more important than the music?

• Can you think of examples of music calming people or increasing their efficiency?

• Do you mind singing to other people? (Another wording: ...singing in front of people?)

◦ If you don't mind then how large an audience would be too many?

• While listening to the radio, do you ever want to sing the song that is being played?

• Why do you think some people believe opera singers should be fat?

• Do you ever download MP3 files from the Internet?

• Do you prefer rock music or romantic music?

• Do you think music can heal sick people?

• Do you think that animals can enjoy music? How do you know?

• Do you think that music can help make world peace? How?

• How important do you think a good music teacher is to mastering an instrument?

• What do you think the next piece of music technology will be, after digital technology?

• If you could invent a new instrument, what would it sound like?

• Do you think the use of drugs by some musicians increases their artistic creativity?

• Who is your favorite composer?

• Did you go to the symphony when you were a child?

• Do your brothers and sisters also love classical music?

• What makes a song popular for you, the lyrics of the song or the melody?

• Why is the recorder called the recorder?

• Who is the most famous musician from your country?

• Do you think it is wrong to download music for free?

• Do you ever create (mix) CD's for your friends?

• Does your country have laws against copying CD's?

• Do you prefer listening to songs in your own language or in another language?    Why?

• Does music affect unborn children?

• Do you think that people form different cultures react to music in different ways?

• What do you think of when you listen to music?

• What kind or style of music would it be weird for your parents to listen to? Why?

• If you could be any musician in the world, who would you be and why?

• If you could be a musician who would you be?

Diet

• • Have you ever been on a diet?
  • How do you know if you are fat?
  • What is the best way to diet?
  • Do you think dieting can be dangerous?
  • Do you think fiber is important in your diet?
  • What kind of fiber is the best when you are trying to loose weight?
  • Do you think protein is important in a balanced diet?
  • What is a good source of protein?
  • Do you think people who are fat can be happy?
  • Do you think people are in general are gaining weight or loosing weight?
  • What kind of diet would you recommend to your friend?
  • What kind of diet would recommended for an older person(40's) and a younger person(teens)?
  • What is the difference between diet and a healthy diet?
  • Is there a difference between being thin and being healthy? Which one is better?
  • Do you think being slim equals beautiful?
  • Do you think there is more pressure now for teens to look slimmer?
  • In what way can diet influence our appearance and personaliza?
  
  
  ESL Conversation questions web page

Conversation. T0PICS: Travel, holidays, related ...

1. • Where have you been?
2. • Are you planning on going anywhere for your next vacation?
3. • If so, where?
4. • Who with?
5. • How long will you stay?
6. • Are you afraid of going abroad alone?
7. • Could you live in another country for the rest of your life?
8. • Describe the most interesting person you met on one of your travels.
9. • What was your best trip.
10. • What was your worst trip.
11. • Did your class in high school go on a trip together?
12. • If so, where did you go?
13. • How long did you stay?
14. • How did you get there?
15. • Do you have a driver's license?
16. • Do you like to travel with children? Why or why not?
17. • Do you like to travel with your mother? Why or why not?
18. • Do you prefer summer vacations or winter vacations?
19. • Do you prefer to travel alone or in a group? Why?
20. • Do you prefer to travel by train, bus, plane or ship?
21. • Do you prefer traveling by car or by plane?
22. • Have you ever been in a difficult situation while traveling?
23. • Have you ever been on an airplane?
24. • How many times?
25. • What airlines have you flown with?
26. • Have you ever been to a foreign country?
27. • Have you ever gotten lost while traveling? If so, tell about it.
28. • Have you ever hitchhiked? If so, how many times?
29. • Have you ever taken a package tour?
30. • How do you spend your time when you are on holiday and the weather is bad?
31. • How many countries have you been to? How many states?
32. • How many times have you traveled abroad?
33. • How much luggage do you usually carry?
34. • If you traveled to South America, what countries would like to visit?
35. • If you went to ___(Insert a country name)__, what kind of souvenirs would you buy?
36. • If you were going on a camping trip for a week, what 10 things would you bring? Explain why.
37. • What are some countries that you would never visit? Why would you not visit them?
38. • What are some things that you always take with you on a trip?
39. • What countries would you like to visit? Why?
40. • What countries would you most like to visit?
41. • What countries would you not like to visit? Why?
42. • What country do you most want to visit?
43. • Why?
44. • Do you think you will ever go there?
45. • What do you need before you can travel to another country?
46. • What is the most interesting city to visit in your country?
47. • What is the most interesting souvenir that you have ever bought on one of your holidays?
48. • What languages can you speak?
49. • What place do you want to visit someday?
50. • What was the most interesting place you have ever visited?
51. • What's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?
52. • When was the last time your traveled?
53. • When you are on a long car journey do you play games or sing songs to occupy your time?
54. • What kind of games?
55. • What songs?
56. • Where are you going to go the next time you travel?
57. • When are you going to go?
58. • Who are you going to go with?
59. • How long are you going to go for?
60. • What are you going to do there?
61. • What kind of things do you think you will buy?
62. • Where did you go on your last vacation?
63. • How did you go?
64. • Who did you go with?
65. • Where did you spend your last vacation? Your summer vacation? Your Christmas vacation?
66. • Where will you go on your next vacation?
67. • Would you like to take a cruise? Where to? With who?
68. • Do you prefer traveling on a hovercraft or a ferry?
69. • Would you prefer to stay at a hotel/motel or camp while on vacation?
70. • Would you rather visit another country or travel within your own country?
71. • Would you rather go to a place where there are a lot of people or to a place where there are few people?
72. • Do you find more fulfillment from your leisure activities including vacations than from your job?
73. • Do you think the type of vacation one takes reflects one's social status?
74. • What are popular tourist destinations in your country?
75. • Have you been to any of them?
76. • Which would you recommend if you could only recommend one? Why?
77. • Do you prefer active or relaxing holidays? Why?
78. • Which is better, package tour or a tour you organize and book yourself?
79. • Why do you travel?
80. • Why do people travel?
81. • Would you like to go back to the same place?
82. • Did you find anything of particular interest? / Did you get attracted to anything special?
83. • What are some benefits of travel?
84. • Why do people travel?
85. • What is your favorite mode of travel?
86. • Have you travelled in business class?
87. • When you were a child did your family take a vacation every year?
88. • Do you prefer a budget or first class hotel? Why?
89. • Do you travel with a lot of baggage or do you like to travel light?
90. • What is your favorite method of travel at your destination? Train? Bus? Boat? Bicycle? Backpacking?
91. • What is the best kind of holiday for different ages of people? Children? Teenagers? Adults? Elderly people?
92. • Do you think it is a good idea to travel with friends, or alone? How about with your family?
93. • If you had $100,000, where would you go on holiday? How about if you had $10,000? What about $1,000?
94. • Which countries have you travelled to?
95. • Do you prefer hot countries or cool countries when you go on holiday
96. • Who makes the decisions when your family decides to go on holiday
97. • If you could choose one place to go this weekend, where would it be? 
98. • Has the airline ever lost your luggage? What happened?
99. • On long flights do you usually walk around the plane to avoid health problems?
100. • Have you ever read an interesting question in an in-flight magazine? What was it?
101. • Is there any difference between young tourists and adult tourists?
102. • Do you think tourism will harm the earth?
103. • Did you enjoy your last vacation? (How was your vacation?)
104. • How do you feel after a long vacation?
105. • How many days was your vacation?
106. • How much money did you spend on your last vacation?
107. • Did you encounter any problems during your vacation?
108. • How did you resolve them?
109. • Did you have a part-time job during the holidays?
110. • Did you have any bad experiences?
111. • Did you meet any interesting people? Cn you tell me about them.
112. • Did you notice any cross-cultural differences during your vacation?
113. • Did you study during the vacation? If so, what did you study?
114. • How was your trip?
115. • Why did you visit the place(s) you went to?
116. • How did you get there?
117. • Why did you choose the means of transportation that you chose?
118. • How much luggage did you take?
119. • Would you take the same or different equipment next time?
120. • In what ways did you obtain real satisfaction when you were on vacation?
121. • Was the place you went to very different from where you live? 
122. • What were the women like? 
123. • What were the men like? 
124. • Were people friendly? 
125. • Did you stay in a hotel? 
126. • What was the daily rate? 
127. • What historical sites did you visit and what did you learn?
128. • What interesting people did you meet? Tell me about them.
129. • What souvenirs did you buy?
130. • What was the best food you ate during your vacation?
131. • What was the most enjoyable thing that you did during your vacation?
132. • What was the most interesting thing that you did during the vacation?
133. • What was the most interesting thing you did during the holiday?
134. • Where did you go for your last vacation?
135. • Did people speak English there?
136. • Did you have any problems?
137. • Did you use a lot of English?
138. • How did you get there?
139. • How long did it take to get there?
140. • How long were you there?
141. • How much money did you spend?
142. • What did you do there?
143. • What did you see in each place?
144. • What kind of food did you eat?
145. • What souvenirs did you buy?
146. • What was the activity you enjoyed the most, and why?
147. • What was the weather/food/scenery like?
148. • What were the people/restaurants/scenic spots like?
149. • Where did you stay?
150. • Where did you visit?
151. • Where would you like to go next?
152. • Who did you travel with?
153. • Would you recommend your friends visit there, why or why not?
154. • Where did you go? How long did you stay? How did you get there?
155. • Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?
156. • Where in the world would you most like to go for your next vacation?
157. • Of all the places you visited, which would you recommend to your friends?
158. • How do you get to sleep when you are traveling on a plane?
159. • How far was it to the beaches, to the nearest town, village etc.?
160. • How long did it take you to get there?
161. • What sort of condition was the hotel in?
162. • Did the room overlook the sea?
163. • Did you have a nice view from your room?
164. • Have you ever run out of money when you are on holidays?
165. • Who is the most remarkable person you have ever met on holiday?
166. • How would you feel if there weren't any holidays?
167. • Have you ever been mugged while on vacation?
168. • What is the most exotic or strangest thing you ate on holiday?
169. • Have you ever thought of giving up your holiday due to unavoidable reasons?
170. • When is the holiday celebrated?
171. • Is it celebrated as a family or a group?
172. • Does your family celebrate this holiday?
173. • Has your family always celebrated this holiday? If not, when did you start celebrating it?
174. • When does the celebration for this holiday generally start?
175. • Is it a religious holiday?
176. • Which religion celebrates it?
177. • Is attending a temple or a church on that day part of the celebration? 
178. • Are there specific prayers or blessings that go with the holiday?
179. • Are there special foods connected with the holiday?
180. • Have you eaten any of these foods?
181. • Do you or did you like the foods?
182. • Can you make these foods? Are you good at making them?
183. • Is gift giving a part of this holiday?
184. • Are there specific types of gifts to be given?
185. • Who are they given to?
186. • What are some of the things that are done to show that this holiday is being observed?
187. • Is it strictly an American holiday?
188. • When did Congress approve this holiday? Or did they?
189. • Is it only a state or city approved holiday?
190. • Has is ever been disapproved by officials?
191. • What does the holiday stand for? Why is this holiday celebrated?
192. • Are the banks, post offices or schools closed for this holiday?
193. • Is there is a person or god connected with the holiday?
194. • Who are they and do you believe in them?
195. • If you do not believe in these people or gods, does the celebration of these bother you in any way (e.g., ignored, dismissed, angry, etc.)?
196. • Do you enjoy the holiday?
197. • Why or why not?
198. • Do you decorate the outside of your house for the holiday?
199. • Do your neighbors decorate their house?
200. • How is the house decorated?
201. • Is the inside decorated? How?
202. • Are there special songs associated with the holiday?
203. • Do you know the songs?
204. • Can you sing some of them?
205. • Do schools, temples or churches have special programs for this holiday?
206. • Are there parties?
207. • Are these for adults, children or both?
208. • Do you see your relatives during this holiday?
209. • Who did you visit?
210. • Do you visit them every year on this holiday?
211. • How many different nationalities or ethnic groups do you see celebrating this holiday?
212. • What do you usually do for this holiday?
213. • What did you do last year?
214. • What would you like to do next year?
215. • Are cards sent or given for this holiday?
216. • Did you send any cards last year?
217. • How many cards did you send?
218. • Who did you send cards to?
219. • What traditional colors are associated with this holiday?
220. • Do you do something different during this holiday?
221. • Would you like to go on a cruise? Why or why not?
222. • Will you go back to the same place again?
223. • Have you ever entered a competition to win a holiday?
224. • Compare the experience of being a tourist with being an international student.
225. • Would you take a job where you had to travel at least once a month?
226. • In your opinion, what are the five most essential items to pack on any holiday?
227. • Is a 'working holiday' really a holiday?
228. • Who do you know that really needs a holiday, and why? Where should they go and what should they do?
229. • Compare caravan holidays with youth hostels.
230. • Compare camping in a tent with staying in a five star hotel.
231. • Compare traveling alone to traveling with a companion.
232. • Compare package tours with do-it-yourself tours.
233. • Do you think package holidays for pets is a good idea? 
234. • If so, what kind of tours and activities should they offer?
235. • How much should they be?
236. • Should dogs and cats be allowed to travel on the same tour?
237. • What holidays have disappeared in your country?
238. • What is your parent's favorite holiday?
239. • What new holiday are needed in your country?
240. • What holiday should be abolished?
241. • What are some of your fondest memories of Thanksgiving?
242. • What kind of traditional food do you eat for Thanksgiving?
243. • Where is the best place to be for the holidays?
244. • Do you think holidays are important? Why?
245. • What kinds of thing do you like to do on the holidays?
246. • Do you ever feel blue during the holidays? What do you do about it?
247. • Do you think pets need holidays? What kinds of holidays would we have for pets?
248. • What games do you play during your holidays?
249. • How many holidays do you have in your country?
250. • What special foods are associated with your favorite holiday?
251. • What special clothing/customs are associated with your favorite holiday?
252. • What is your favorite holiday memory? Tell us about it.
253. • Who is your favorite holiday character (e.g. Santa Claus)? Why?
254. • What are three holidays that you like to spend with your family?
255. • What is your worst holiday memory? Tell us about it.
256. • If you had a long holiday, what will you do with it?
257. • Do you like to stay up late on holidays?
258. • Who do you usually spend the holidays with?
259. • If a holiday falls on a Sunday, should you get another day off?
260. • What is best present you ever received?
261. • What is your favorite holiday food?
262. • What is your favorite holiday song?
263. • Does it bother you that some holidays are religious and some are not?
264. • Do you celebrate holidays differently now than you did when you were a child?
265. • What is your favorite holiday festival in your country?
266. • Do you light off fireworks on New Years Eve in your country?
267. • If you could visit any other country during Christmas, where would you go?
268. • What holiday is the most dangerous in your country?
269. • What holiday is the most exciting in your country?
270. • Why do we celebrate Easter?
271. • Do you celebrate Easter in your country?
272. • How do you celebrate Easter in your country?
273. • Do you have any special family traditions?
274. • Did the original meaning of Easter get lost?
275. • What do you think of Father's Day? Mother's Day? Parent's Day?
276. • What are 3 holidays that you like to spend with your family?
277. • If you had a long holiday, what will you do with it?Do you like to stay up late on holidays?
278. • What's your favorite holiday food?
279. • What kinds of religious holidays have become secular in your country?
280. • Is there any religious holiday that has a special meaning for you?
281. • Is there any non-religious holiday that has a special meaning for you?                                                           source: http://iteslj.org/questions/holiday.html