Shadowing Practice: I Used This iPod for a Year and It Changed My Life - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So it's been almost a year now since I got this 160 gigabyte iPod Classic from my girlfriend, and I've got to say, it's been a wild ride.
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Initially, I just thought this would be a fun toy to play around with from time to time, but little did I know that this device was going to change my life, or at least how I relate to my music and my media.
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So let's talk a little bit more about that now.
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If you don't know me, I'm Spencer, and I like to talk about simple living, frugality, and ways to cut down on your technology usage, sometimes by using other technologies, like the iPod.
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So spoiler alert, I love my iPod.
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This has been a super valuable tool to me
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and today I want to share with you guys 7 reasons
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how using this thing over the past year has changed the way that I relate to my media completely.
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Let's get into it.
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So number 1, I've started to own the music I listen to once again.
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Before I got the iPod, I was a Spotify guy.
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I made the Switch to Spotify back in 2016 and I really never looked back.
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Pretty soon after making the Switch, I got rid of every CD that I owned.
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I had a pretty big collection at the time and I went 100 % all in on streaming.
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And other than starting a small vinyl collection in the last few years, since that time I've got 90 plus percent of my music from streaming services.
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But then when I got the iPod I ran into a bit of an issue.
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You can't do streaming on this thing, you have to actually own the files if you want to listen to them.
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And it was then
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that I realized with a helpful little bit of back of the napkin math
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that over the seven years that I'd been on Spotify I'd spent like 800 bucks, close to a thousand dollars i'd paid spotify over those years
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and you know how much music i owned zilch zero and
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that didn't help me much because i was trying to load up my ipod
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and this realization was really powerful it changed the game for me it gave me some time to sit back
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and reflect and think is this the way
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that i want to go forward do i want to continue
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renting this whole time do i want to continue paying
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but not really getting anything at the end of the day once the payments stop
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or do i want to be a little bit more intentional put my money where my mouth is
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and start to own a music catalog
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so what i decided was after seven years i was going to cancel spotify
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and i decided to start building a small music catalog of
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my own pretty soon i started to find websites like hd tracks
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and kobas where you're able to buy a high quality drm free digital music
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and i was starting to build out a small catalog of music
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that i actually cared about so the second way
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that using my ipod instead of something like a streaming service
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really changed how i listen to music is it forced me to get real about what music I actually listen to.
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You see with Spotify and other streaming services we see
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that monthly payment as a pretty good deal
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because we have access to a giant catalog of music more than we'd ever be able to afford on our own.
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However we have to be realistic this is also a lot more music than we're ever going to listen to.
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I think with music over TV shows
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or movies we're very likely to find a few artists that we really enjoy and then revisit their work regularly.
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In my case, I found that I was listening to a playlist
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that I had made on Spotify with a hundred something songs on it, and that was pretty much the extent of my Spotify usage.
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Like here and there, I'd listen to a new track from an artist that I liked if they'd put something out, but pretty much I was returning to that playlist for most of my music listening.
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So when I stopped using Spotify and started listening to music on my iPod, I couldn't just afford to buy thousands of songs on a whim.
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I needed to actually get real
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and be a little bit more intentional about what music I actually valued and wanted to own.
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And when I thought about it, I figured that if I had just the tracks that were on that hundred something song playlist,
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then I would have probably 80 to 90 % of my music listening habits completely covered just by having that playlist.
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So I knew once I secured that base, I really didn't have much to worry about.
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So moving on to the third reason how having this iPod has just changed my music habits
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and the way that I relate to media in general is I spend a lot less money on music now.
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You probably think that renting is a lot cheaper than buying
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and if you were to replace Spotify in your life it would require you to purchase a lot of music.
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And originally I kind of assumed the same thing
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but after almost a year of doing it this new way
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and I guess by new way I mean the old way of doing things I found
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that to not really be the case.
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You know in minimalism the term is thrown around a just in case item.
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It's an item that like the name implies you don't really need but you keep around just in case.
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I think this is often what happens when we think about the music
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that we're going to need
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if we were to replace something like spotify overnight we imagine it's this massive catalog
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that we would need to have just in case we wanted to listen to it
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but the fact of the matter is we return to a few core tracks
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that we really enjoy again
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and again we need a lot less than we think we do
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that was at least the case for me
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and i found the number to be quite low and quite manageable
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and nowadays i'm not even buying like one album a month on average i would say
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if you took all of the music that i purchased over this period
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that i've been using the iPod exclusively and spread it out so it kind of was a month -to -month thing, I would guess that I'd probably spend only like $5 a month on music.
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And that's about 50 % of what I was paying monthly to have Spotify.
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But if I stop paying that fee tomorrow, I'm still going to own all the music that I've bought up until this point.
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So that's pretty good.
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So keeping with the theme of intentionality, the fourth thing
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that has changed since I've been using my iPod exclusively for
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this past year is I find myself listening to whole albums all the way through once again.
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Now this was something that I always did when I used to buy CDs when I was younger, but as I moved to streaming services, I found myself more and more moving away from that and just listening to singles.
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And I guess that's just because the sheer amount of media that's available on these streaming services, there's not as much incentive for you to just dig into what you have.
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You could listen to anything, so you don't really end up sticking with something for very long.
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And I guess that's also why
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so many artists don't even release full albums anymore they just do tons of drops of singles
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or just release small eps but
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when i buy my own album i only have a finite amount of music
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so i have a lot more incentive to dig into those albums
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and actually find out what's hiding in the nooks and crannies of
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that thing not just listen to the singles and get out of there
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and pun intended that rocks i love being able to dig into those albums go deeper
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and find those deep cuts so to say it's a lot of fun
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and i always end up finding something
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that i like even maybe more than the single moving on
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to the fifth thing that's changed since I've started using the iPod full -time is I find
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that I care a little bit more about sound quality.
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It's not to say that I didn't care about sound quality before, it was just not really a consideration whatsoever, but now I pay a little bit more attention to it.
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Now the iPod isn't the most high fidelity music player out there, no, no it's not, but this thing can hang.
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It can play Apple's lossless codec which is very high quality, but usually I just opt for really high quality MP3s.
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Back when I was predominantly streaming, I was just using my iPhone and a pair of AirPods
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and i wasn't really thinking more about it but
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because the ipod doesn't have bluetooth i was back to using
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wired headphones recently i switched to using a pair of iem's
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which stands for in -ear monitors it's basically super high quality sounding earbuds
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and if you're using an ipod
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and wired headphones on the go this is the option
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that you should choose i think this is the best way
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to go the sixth thing i want to note since i've been using the ipod for the last year something
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that i've really appreciated about using ipod only instead of streaming is the fact that there's no algorithm.
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With Spotify, there is just so much music to choose from.
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You need a little bit of help sifting through all of it.
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And that's kind of where the algorithm comes in.
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It kind of nudges you towards certain artists, right?
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It makes recommendations to things that might sound similar.
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And that's kind of the problem with algorithms, in my opinion.
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You know, Spotify wants you to keep using the app, so it wants to keep you enticed with the music you're hearing.
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It's constantly giving you stuff that it thinks you're going to like, aka more of the same.
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In my opinion algorithms are kind of like an echo chamber.
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They're just telling you what you want to hear and they're pushing you deeper and deeper into what you already know.
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Using an algorithm is much less of a chance
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that you're going to stumble into uncharted territory and really challenge your tastes in any way.
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And without Spotify
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and its algorithm curating my music catalog for me I have to do a lot of
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that work on my own and go find those new artists for myself.
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I actually made a whole other video where I talked about how I left Spotify
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and some of the ways that I found new music otherwise i'll link
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that one above up here somewhere if you're interested in checking
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that one out but i look at social media accounts
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that make recommendations based on genre i read subreddits based on sub genres i also read music blogs
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and other publications and i'll even find recommendations sometimes from reading an artist's history
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and influences on wikipedia so wrapping up the seventh thing
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and likely the most important thing
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that i've noticed since switching to the iPod over the past year is
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that I find myself getting so much less distracted when I'm out with my iPod.
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And for that, I have to thank the iPod's lack of connectivity.
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This is just an iPod, okay?
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It's not a phone.
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It doesn't connect to the internet.
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It doesn't do anything else.
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It just plays music.
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It's an iPod.
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And for that, I am grateful.
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You see, when I go for a walk and I just want to have my tunes with me, I don't have to carry along with me all those other distractions that come pre -built into smart devices.
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And yes, I can turn off notifications, put my phone on grayscale, delete problem apps, do all of those things, but there's still going to be that unshakable urge, just that quick draw effect to want to pick up your phone
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and check it that just is not present when you're using something like an iPod.
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And folks, if you pair this device with a dumb phone, then you have a deadly near distraction free combination.
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And I think that's a huge part of the reason why these iPods are seeing a little bit of a resurgence again.
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People want some level of an escape from their smart devices and the distractions that within.
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People want their tech to be a tool, not some flashing slot machine in the ever -growing attention economy casino.
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And for that folks, the iPod is rad.
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I can use the iPod, have a great experience, and come away from it feeling great as well.
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And I think it's so telling that people are so worried about screen time, monitoring their screen time.
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I don't need a screen time with this iPod because it's not an addicting device.
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It's just a tool and it's great.
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Well that's about it for today folks.
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Just a few reasons how this old iPod has changed my
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approach to music what did you think of this video have
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you been finding yourself moving away a bit from smart technology
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for older simpler alternatives like the ipod have you found yourself moving away from streaming
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but opting to own a smaller media collection for yourself let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.
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Thanks very much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “I Used This iPod for a Year and It Changed My Life”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: ipod, spotify, streaming, listen. This video has 161 sentences and 2330 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:56. The speaker talks fast, about 235 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| catalogue noun | /ˈkæt.əˌlɔɡ/ | A systematic list of books, names, pictures, etc. |
| algorithm noun | /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/ | A collection of ordered steps that solve a mathematical problem. A precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that possibly begins with an input… |
| playlist noun | /ˈpleɪˌlɪst/ | A list of recorded songs scheduled to be played on a radio station. |
| distraction noun | /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/ | Something that distracts. |
| recommendation noun | /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ | An act of recommending. |
| intentional adjective | /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/ | Intended or planned; done deliberately or voluntarily. |
| headphones noun | /ˈhɛdfoʊnz/ | A pair of cushioned speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound. |
| incentive noun | /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ | Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages. |
| genre noun | /ˈ(d)ʒɑnɹə/ | A kind; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks. |
| cranny noun | /ˈkɹæni/ | A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance. |
| curate noun | /ˈkjʊɹɪt/ | An assistant rector or vicar. |
| earbud noun | /ˈiɹ.bʌd/ | A small earphone designed to be placed in the ear canal for use with portable sound systems. |
| entice verb | /ɪnˈtaɪs/ | To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope. |
| frugality noun | /fɹuːˈɡæləti/ | The quality of being frugal; prudent economy. |
| gigabyte noun | /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ | One billion (10⁹, or 1,000,000,000) bytes or 1,000 megabytes. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| build out verb | To develop or expand (a system, structure, project, etc.). |
| buy up verb | To buy the whole of; to purchase the entire stock of something. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
| keep around verb | to keep something near one. |
| look back verb | To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight). |
| move away verb | To go away from a place, especially when permanently changing one's residence. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | i've been using |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | it's been · has been · has changed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 53 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: algorithm /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, genre /ˈ(d)ʒɑnɹə/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, frugality /fɹuːˈɡæləti/, manageable /ˈmænəd͡ʒəb(ə)l/, minimalism /ˈmɪn.ə.məl.ɪz.əm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like catalogue, algorithm, playlist.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.