Yasmeen, UK

I love using songs as I have found students really respond well to them, all levels and all
age groups. In the past, I have used songs in the following ways:

Listening comprehension
To help with pronunciation/phonetic symbols
As a writing exercise - students write a paragraph about what the song is all about.
A prediction exercise - modal verbs galore!
I have also taken a paragraph off the internet about what the song means to the
artist and students change it into indirect speech.
Students are given strips of a cut up song and they have to "rebuild" it.

Developing Speech Habits with

the Help of Songs
by Natalia Orlova
The idea to use songs in ELT is not new. Songs are considered to be an
effective tool for language teaching. In the majority of publications
dealing with the topic in question, songs are recommended for teaching
phonetics, grammar, or for expanding the vocabulary of the pupils.
Moreover, songs can be used to teach English to elementary and
secondary schoolchildren or to adults in content courses for beginners.
But, for the purposes of this article, songs (folk, rock, country, pop) will
be used to teach English to prospective teachers of foreign languages.
The reasons for this are as follows.
Songs can perform different functions in language teaching:
1. They can serve as an incentive for speaking English in class.
Russian methodologists consider works of art- poetry, prose,
paintings-to be effective tools that stimulate the content of foreign
language speech (Gurvich 1974). Songs which belong to a genre
including both lyrics and music can be added to this list. They are
marked by the richness of content, poetical metaphors, and
symbols, which emotionally reflect the world we live in.
In non-English surroundings the main problem teachers of
English encounter is how to stimulate students to speak English
in class. Songs may serve as a starting point for conversation.
Students can discuss a single song, the repertoire of a group as
well as different musical trends.
2. Songs can motivate a positive emotional approach to language
learning. Exerting emotional influence on a listener, songs can
inspire the student to express his/her attitude towards what he has

heard. A rock song is particularly close to 18-20 year-olds

because of its form, content, and aspirations. This gives students
the opportunity to speak on the topic.
3. Songs can introduce students to the music and culture of
particular interest to them in the target language community.
While listening to a song, students begin to recognize the words
and notions easily understood by native speakers but which may
present difficulty for foreigners.
4. Songs can effectively contribute to the esthetic development of
prospective teachers. They help student teachers to develop their
artistic tastes on the basis of a critical evaluation of the songs they
listen to and discuss and at the same time help them learn how to
use a song in ELT.
The question that inevitably arises is what kinds of songs should one use
in ELT. Perhaps the following criteria may serve as a guide: They must
appeal to the target audience; they should present a certain esthetic value.
Songs by the Beatles generally satisfy these requirements best of all.
They are deservedly considered to be classics of pop music, from which
different musical trends sprang up (Gambaccini 1987).

Technique
The development of students' speech habits through music is comprised
of three stages: preparatory, forming , and developing . Each of them has
its own objectives.
The first stage is the formation of monological speech habits within the
topic "music" and includes reading specially chosen micro-texts on the
topic which contain information about different musical trends as well as
the history of the Beatles. This should also include post-reading exercises
aimed at vocabulary development.
The aim of the second stage is forming speech skills while discussing the
songs under consideration. The tasks in this stage should be done in a
seven-step sequence:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Presentation to the students of pre-listening tasks.

Listening to the song.
Students answer the pre-listening questions.
Post-listening tasks.

5. Presentation of the typed text of the song lyrics.

6. Second listening to the song.
7. Discussion of the song.
As an example, let us consider the tasks fulfilled while working with the
song "Yesterday."
Pre-listening questions: What is the song about? What feelings does it
evolve?
Post-listening questions: How do the melody and the lyrics evolve? Who
is the lead vocal? What can you say about his way of singing? What
instruments accompany McCartney's voice? Does the song sound like a
classical piece? Whose image is created in the song? What kind of love is
depicted in the song? Is the love story told in a highly emotional way or
with a tinge of detachment?
Listen to the song again. Is there a proper balance of the singers' voices
and instruments in the song? Characterize the main musical elements of
the song.
Now listen to the recorded version of the song "Yesterday" by Ray
Charles. What differences can you notice in his interpretation? Which
singer is more dramatic?
The third stage of using a song in an English class is to further develop
speech skills on the topic of "music" and to teach students how to use
songs in ELT. At this stage the students are involved in a discussion of
the following problematic questions:
Should a person understand only one musical genre or different
kinds? Some people say that rock music promotes juvenile
delinquency. Do you agree? Is rock music a passing phenomenon,
an ephemeral fad with young people? What do you think are the
main qualities of a pop-singer? Could you enumerate at least three
of them?
This phase should also include training, so that would-be-teachers of
English could have the knowledge and skill to do the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.

be able to select interesting texts on the topic of "music";

be able to analyse the didactic potential of a particular song;
know how to teach a song to the pupils;
be able to give a talk on the musical life of the target language
community;

e. critically evaluate songs with the purpose of including them in

class activities.
To develop the skills mentioned above, we suggest the following
exercises:

Study the songs/lyrics by the Beatles. Select those you believe

would be effective for language teaching if the discussion were
going to be "Friendship," "Parents and Children," "Love."
Select five songs-traditional, folk, pop-which could be used to
stimulate classroom discussion. Say how you would use them.
Collect interesting stories and articles about music and musicians.
Explain how these texts may be effective vehicles for language
instruction.
Listen to the song. Think of the questions you would ask your
pupils to help them understand the song.
Give a two-minute introductory talk on the importance of being a
good listener.
Give a talk on your favorite English/ American composer/group.
Make up the plan for "My Favorite English/American Songs
Party" which could be organized for secondary school pupils.

Conclusion
A teacher of English should be creative and innovative. Songs in ELT
will help to make the process more interesting and effective.
Note: I should like to mention that one of the topics for conversation
included in the English Department syllabus at Russian universities is
"Music and Cultural Life of England and the USA."

Exercise 1
Music which is soft and slow, such as lullabies,
suggests a quiet, peaceful mood, while music that is loud
and fast suggests a buoyant, active mood. Arrange the
following adjectives in two groups of antonyms, according
to the mood different songs may evoke:
quiet, peaceful
-"- -"- -"- -"-

active,buoyant
-"- -"- -"- -"-

(calm, restful, happy, dreamy, mysterious, self-pitying,

intimate, sad, somber, festive, joyful.)
Exercise 2
Listen to the song (choose any song you like by the
Beatles) and determine the mood the song evokes. Use the
adjectives from the exercise above.
Exercise 3
These occupations are related to music. Consult an
English-English dictionary for their meaning:
composer
singer
listener
musicologist
conductor
ethnomusicologist
music publisher
music arranger
music producer
technician in a recording studio
instrument manufacturer
Exercise 4
You may need the following adjectives about the voice of a
singer:
deep, gentle, soft, fresh, clear, lyrical, expressive, velvety,
small, quiet, nasal, guttural, hollow, resonant, gruff, harsh,
raucous, husky, mellow, metallic, weak, anemic.
Using the words above, describe the voices of the singers
you know.
Exercise 5
Select from the box the words which best describe the
music from the point of:
Mood Melody Rhythm Beat Tempo -

self-pitying, aggressive, intimate, calm, restful,

happy, sad, dreamy, mysterious, buoyant, active,
strong, tuneful, expressive, emotional, lilting,
catching, restless, assured, distinctive, light,
heavy, regular (irregular) dese, impatient, abrupt,
jaunty, crisp, irrestiable, driving, steady, ongoing,
definite, strong, slow, solid, quick, swift, moderate,
fast.

Exercise 6
Study the following synonymous phrases:
to be on lead (backing, harmony) vocals;
to provide lead vocal;
to sing lead vocals.
Listen to the song (choose any song you like by the

Beatles) and use one of them.

Exercise 7
Listen to the song "Michelle." Select the description
(either a or b) that fits the song.*
a. John Lennon - Acoustic guitar and backing vocal
Paul McCartney - Bass guitar and lead vocal
George Harrison - Acoustic guitar and backing vocal
Ringo Starr - Drums
Written for Paul for the daughter of an American
millionaire, the song features Paul on lead vocal with John
and George adding the close harmony backing. This was
another of the Beatles' songs to become an all-time
standard. The song lapses into French now and again as
with the phrase "Ma Belle" (My beautiful) and "Sont les
mots qui vonts tres bien ensemble"
These are words that go together well.
b. John Lennon - Rhythm guitar and lead vocal
Paul McCartney - Bass guitar and lead vocal
George Harrison - Lead guitar
Ringo Starr - Drums
The lead vocal on this up-tempo ballad sounds doubletracked; it is in fact, a close harmony duet between John
and Paul, and it is a fine example of how they blended
their two voices to sound like one. It is fine proof that not
only could Lennon and McCartney write songs but they
could also sing.
(The descriptions of the songs were taken from the book by
Russel J.P. The Beatles on record. N.Y. Scribner's sons, 1982.)

Exercise 8
Listen to the song "Can't Buy Me Love"
Pre-Listening questions: In the title of the song the subject
is omitted. Can you guess what is its?
Post-Listening questions:
1. Is the title of the song an appropriate one? Can you
suggest other titles?
2. From whose point of view is the song sung? Do you
agree with the singer that "Money can't buy me love"?
3. Who is doing the lead vocal, backing vocals?
4. What is the melody like?
5. Is there a dynamism and kinesthetic appeal in the
song?
Can you determine the rhythm and tempo of the song.

6. What attracts you more in the song: the music or the

lyrics? What is more important for a song: music or
lyrics? Why?

Natalia Orlova teaches English at the Foreign Languages Department of Herzen

Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Using music and songs
By Jo Budden
Introduction
Music can play a really important part in the language classroom. It can change the
atmosphere in the room within seconds. Songs sung in English are listened to around the
world and students can often feel real progress in their level of English when they can
begin to sing along to the chorus or even just to be able to separate what at first seemed to
be a constant stream of words! I am going to split this article into using music and using
songs and I will share twelve of my favourite activities with you.
Before bringing music into the class, it may be worthwhile to do a music survey or
questionnaire to find out what the students enjoy listening to. As much as possible try to
use music they will like. I have found that the students motivation levels are the
determining factor in whether or not a song will work with them. If the students really
like the song and the artist they become determined to understand. If you choose the task
carefully even lower levels will be able to get something out of working with tricky songs
where the language is way above their level of English.
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Using music
Music in the classroom doesnt always mean listening to a song and using the lyrics in
some way. Music can be used in the classroom in a multitude of ways. Here are just five
ways to use music in your classroom.

Set the scene: If music is playing as students enter the class it can be a nice way
to settle the group. Give the class a few minutes to settle down and then turn the
volume down slowly and use the end of the music as an indicator to the students
that the class will begin.
Change the tempo: Music can be used to calm down an over excited class or to
wake up a sleepy one. If you know that your students have high energy levels and
sometimes need to calm down, try playing some relaxing music to put on as they
work. At first they may find it strange but they will get used to it. With sleepy
teenagers, try putting some of their favourite tunes on as they work. It may help to
increase their energy levels.
Time limits: Instead of telling students they have two minutes to finish a task, or
with very young learners a minute to tidy the room up after a craft activity, tell

them they have until the end of the song. Play the music and when the song ends
students should be paying attention ready to listen to the instructions to change
tasks.
Feelings: Different types of music will provoke very different reactions within
your students. You can explore this by playing a selection of different types of
music for a minute or so each and asking students to write some adjectives of how
they feel when listening to the different types.
Musical drawings: Give each student a piece of paper and some coloured
pencils. Tell them that you are going to play some music and you want them to
draw whatever comes into their heads. As music is playing, all students should be
drawing. After 20 or 30 seconds, stop the music. Students stop drawing and pass
their picture to the person to the left of them in the circle. Play the music again
and they continue with the drawing the person next to them had started. Stop the
music again, pass pictures on and this continues until the end of the song. When
you have finished each student will have a picture that several students
contributed to. Then its up to you what to do with the pictures. They can be used
to describe to the group, to write a story about, or to pretend they were a dream
the student had last night. The rest of the class can try to analyse the meaning of
the dream.
Use different types of music to get different types of pictures. Ive found that
reggae and samba produce happy beach scenes and dance music gets futuristic
city scenes.
Beware with teenagers this activity can be quite an eye-opener as it tends to
reveal what is going on in their minds!
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Using songs
Songs provide a valuable source of authentic language and there are hundreds of ways to
exploit them in the classroom. The internet has made it very easy to find the lyrics of
songs. A search on google with the name of the band, the song title and the word lyrics
will bring up a selection of sites you can use. Once you have copied and pasted the lyrics
into a word document it is quick and easy to make an effective worksheet. Here is a
selection of ideas for you to try.

Classic gap-fill: Every language student at some point has been given a song to
listen to and the lyrics with gaps in for them to fill in as they listen. This activity
is not as simple as it sounds and before making one yourself think about why
youre taking out certain words. It may be better to take out all the words in one
group, such as prepositions or verbs, and tell students what they should be
listening out for. Another option is to take out rhyming words. Dont be tempted
to take out too many words, eight or ten is normally enough. To make the task
easier you could provide the missing words in a box at the side for the students to
select, or you could number the gaps and provide clues for each number.
Spot the mistakes: Change some of the words in the lyrics and as students listen

they have to spot and correct the mistakes. As with the gap-fill limit the mistakes
to a maximum of eight or ten and if possible choose a word set. You could make
all the adjectives opposites for example. Another example of this for higher levels
is to show the students the real lyrics and you correct the English and make it
proper! E.g. gonna change to going to we was change to we were etc. This
is a good way to focus on song language.
Comic strip: Songs that tell stories are great for students to make comic strips out
of. You have to choose your song carefully and spend time looking at the lyrics
with the students and making sure they have understood the main ideas. Lower
levels may need guidance as to how to divide up the song into suitable chucks that
can be represented pictorially. Avril Lavignes Skater Boy song from last year was
a good one for this activity.
Order the verses: With low levels this is a very simple activity. Chop up the
lyrics of the song by verse and give a small group of students the jumbled verses.
As they listen they put them in order.
Discussion: Certain songs lend themselves to discussions and you can use the
song as a nice lead in to the topic and a way to pre-teach some of the vocabulary.
One I used recently was Where is the love? by the Black Eyed Peas to lead in to
a discussion about war.
Translation: Although some teachers oppose all use of the mother tongue in the
language classroom, some students really enjoy translating lyrics into their own
language. If you do ask students to do this ensure the lyrics are worth translating!
Write the next verse: Higher levels can write a new verse to add to a song. Focus
on the patterns and rhyme of the song as a group and then let students be creative.
If they are successful, the new verses can be sung over the top of the original!
Norah Jones Sunrise was a good one for this.

I hope that at least some of these ideas will be good for your classes. The more you use
music in the classroom the more uses you will find for it. If you have any ideas to share
why not send them to the discussion list.
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Internet links
http://www.freeplaymusic.com/ This site has short music clips on which can legally be
used for educational purposes.
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/music.htm This site has lots of lyrics for kids as well as
midi files for them to sing along with.
http://www.ohhla.com/ This site has a vast collection of hip hop lyrics. Be careful which
ones you choose as some have bad language.
http://www.mtv.com/ This is the MTV homepage and has links to loads of potential
materials.
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