Teaching Approaches That Implement Music and Songs
The English language is the most spoken one as a second language in the whole world. It has become the international language of business, science, technology, international relations, and diplomacy.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Askarbekkyzy K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Why Use Songs?
Songs can be used to develop students’ listening skills. They improve listening skills ‘because they provide students with practice listening to different forms of intonation and rhythm. Songs can be really helpful in practicing listening skills “warm-up work can provide a basis for students to make predictions before listening; listening activities can encourage listening for gist or listening for detail.
Without a song, teaching would be a mistake! Songs just make any teaching job, no matter how hard, enjoyable. One of the big problems we all face, whether teaching English to children or adults, is maintaining learners’ interest throughout our lessons. Consequently, we often have to be very creative in the techniques we use. What makes music such a great teaching tool is its universal appeal, connecting all cultures and languages.
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Boost of Motivation
This makes it one of the best and most motivating resources in the classroom, regardless of the age or background of the learner. It is significant to know the language level of the class because, it will determine not only which songs can use, but also what other activities – such as games or written exercises – this will use to develop the lesson. Lower levels will become extremely frustrated with fast-delivered lyrics, for instance, while simple repetitive lyrics might not be interesting for more advanced-level learners.
If here is a teacher of young learners, the teacher will probably want to use songs that are repetitive and very easy to understand. For teenagers, however, use contemporary or fairly recent pop and rock songs. My advice is: it’s often best to ask them ‘what’s cool’. Alternatively, for adult learners, who will probably have a more open approach to classes, use songs that are interesting to their age group.
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Here are six steps for making a song the focus of the class
- Listen to the song
- Ask some questions about the title
- Listen to the song again, this time with lyrics
- Focus on a particular verb tense or aspect of grammar
- Focus on vocabulary, idioms, and expressions
- Round things off with some creativity
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Ice-breaker
Using songs in the classroom is a very easy tool to motivate English students. It works as an ice-breaker against the routine. Songs could be an essential part of English teaching because it makes the students feel more receptive to the language.
With the action of singing and involving movement, the children will feel more confident of beginning to chant or sing as their fear fade away and later on they will be practicing the pronunciation over and over. Chanting and singing also familiarize the students with the rhythm and intonation of the English language.
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Eventually, students will increase their interest which will help them learn the language by using those activities.
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