PERSONAL ASSIGNMENT

INTEGRATED LISTENING
LISTENING SONGS TO IMPROVE STUDENT’S LISTENING
ABILITY

Name : LAILATUZ ZAKIYAH

NPM : 161210064
Lecture: Mhd. Johan, S.S., M. Hum.
Major : English Literature

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
PUTERA BATAM UNIVERSITY
2018
 PREFACE
First of all, thanks to Allah SWT because of the help of Allah, writer finished
writing this paper in the calculated time. This assignment made as one of the
requirements to complete a course at Putera Batam University (UPB).
In arranging this paper, the writer gets lots challenges and obstructions, but with
help of many sides those obstructions could passed. Writer also realized there are still
many mistakes in process of writing this paper.
Because of that, the writer says thank you to all individuals who helps in the
process of writing this paper. Hopefully Allah replies all helps and blesses you all.
The writer realized that this paper still imperfect in arrangement and the content and
the writer hope the criticism from the readers can help the writer in perfecting the
next paper. Last but not the least hopefully, this paper can help the readers to gain
more knowledge about language.

Batam, January 12nd, 2018

Author

(LAILATUZ ZAKIYAH)

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER .......................................................................................................................... i
PREFACE ..................................................................................................................... ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. iii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Problem Formulation .......................................................................................... 1
1.3 Purpose of the Paper ........................................................................................... 2

CHAPTER II: THEORY AND DISCUSSION ............................................................ 3

2.1 Song .................................................................................................................... 3

2.1.1 The definition of song .................................................................................. 3

2.1.2 The types of song ......................................................................................... 3

2.2 Listening.............................................................................................................. 6

2.3 Discussion ........................................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER III: CONCLUSION.................................................................................. 10

3.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 10

3.2 Suggest .............................................................................................................. 10

3.3 Closing .............................................................................................................. 11

REFERENCES

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background

Listening is one of four primer aspects in English. Three parts of them are
reading, writing, and speaking. Listening takes a fundamental part and also takes
quite a tough place. For the listening students it is prone to error. These mistakes can
occur due to lack of training and habituation. These factors can be overcome in an
effective or even in funny way.
How effective and fun it can use the song media. The song is the source of the
impingement and abandonment of the hearts of many people on this earth. With these
intermediaries students will not feel overwhelmed, even they will enjoy. Especially
when the students have different song tastes. Good learning is serious but also fun, so
that learning can fit in the memory of students.
Nowadays many students are stressed out on listening lessons because of lack
practice and habituation. With the effective but fun media such as listening to songs,
students can increase their listening ability. Therefore the author is interested in
discussing this issue in a paper with title “LISTENING SONGS TO IMPROVE
STUDENT’S LISTENING ABILITY”

1.2 Problem Formulation

For easier this paper and achieve of structure that is wanted, the writer makes
some problems formulation.

1. What are the problems of student’s listening ability?

2. How listening song can improve student’s listening ability?

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1.3 Purpose of the Paper

In this paper, the writer will explain some purposes to easier the reader
understanding contents of discussion.

1. To know the problems of student’s listening ability.

2. To know listening song can improve student’s listening ability.

 CHAPTER II

THEORY AND DISCUSSION

2.1 Song

2.1.1 The Definition of Song

At its most basic, a song is a short piece of music, usually with words. It
combines melody and vocals, although some composers have written instrumental
pieces, or musical works without words, that mimic the quality of a singing voice.
The words of a song are called lyrics. Lyrics can include a series of verses, the longer
sections of the song that tell the story, and a refrain, a short phrase repeated at the end
of every verse. Songs can have a simple structure of one or two verses, or a more
complex one with multiple verses and refrains. Songs usually have a meter or beat.
Whether people sing or speak the lyrics, they can feel a pattern or pulse in the way
the words move the song forward. The word 'song' has been around for a very long
time, and it connects back to Old English and Old Norse languages. As such a history
suggest, songs are used for many purposes: to tell stories, express emotions, or
convey a belief in faith. Sometimes they give instructions or help make difficult,
repetitive work a little less tiresome. (Anonim1, n.d.)

2.1.2 The Types of Song

The main reason songs cannot be marked only in one class is because of the
differences existing in the type of music, lyrics, and its purpose. For instance, a rap
song can also be a Christian song, and a ballad can even have a metal feel to it.
However, that can still roughly classify songs as per the types of lyrics, the music,
tone, culture, and other similar factors. Below are the some types of song.

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Classical

A Classical music concert with violins as the name suggests, classical songs are
those in which traditional music plays a main role. These songs were first composed
by artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van
Beethoven, to name a few. These songs have had a substantial impact on the music
we hear today. Every country has a culture, which is clearly apparent in its classical
and folk songs.

Pop

Pop songs are those which have contemporary lyrics and an upbeat rhythm,
basically meant for the youth culture. Some of the most popular artists of this genre
are Michael Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake,
and Cher. The composition of pop songs concentrates more on music technology and
recording than on live performances. Rhythm and effects are two important elements
in pop songs.

Rock

Rock songs are the most popular among teenagers and youngsters. They consist
of clear pieces of lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and keyboards as some of the main
instruments. When the instruments are played in sync, they sound energetic along
with the vocals. Most popular rock artists are Europe, Creed, Def Leppard, Van
Halen, Bon Jovi, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bryan Adams and many other good ones.
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Metal

Metal songs are a bit more hard-sounding than rock songs. These songs have high
pitches and screaming vocals, heavy guitar leads, and solid drum work. In a majority
of metal songs, power chords and riffs are used. They may consist of random lyrics,
as the primary focus is on the music. Some of the metal music legends are
Whitesnake, Metallica, Dokken, Winger, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Scorpions, etc.

Country

Country songs are suitable for easy listening. They mainly consist of clean lyrics
with music pieces using classical guitars and other traditional instruments.
Occasionally, solos of instruments like the banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and harmonica
can also be heard in country songs. You can listen to songs by Keith Urban, Taylor
Swift, Chris Young, Garth Brooks, and Shania Twain for a better idea.

Hip-hop

In hip-hop or rap songs, the singer recites lyrics in an off-beat manner but with
the continuity of the rhythm. These songs primarily include solid rhythmic beats and
synth, with a focus on the way the lyrics are sung. Hip-hop songs have become
popular not only in the USA, but all over the world. The most popular stars in hip-
hop music are Eminem, Nelly, Akon, Flo Rida, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Kanye West.

Ballads

Ballads are songs which include a narration of a story in a musical way. These are
basically slow songs, but may contain heavy components as well. Generally, ballads
have an emotional touch to them, owing to the lyrical content. This is why they are a
great hit during live shows. Ballads can be composed by artists from any genre of
music. Power ballads are those which combine heavy music with emotional lyrics.
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Dance

Dance songs are fast and have a thumping rhythmic pattern. Lyrics are not given
much importance here. Nowadays, dance songs accompany synth, drum machines,
and electronic music, and are played in dance parties and discotheques. Most notable
artists of this genre are Vengaboys, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and many other electronica
artists. Nowadays, you will find most traditional songs rerecorded to dance numbers
by adding beats and effects.

Love

Love songs are slow songs whose lyrics concentrate on the feelings of love and
relationships. These songs are largely played in marriages. There are sad love songs
whose lyrics relate to breakups, too. They are mostly composed by pop and rock
artists. Some of the artists who have composed the best love songs are Elton John,
Bryan Adams, Richard Marx, Mariah Carey, and George Michael.

Gospel

Gospel songs contain lyrics taken from Bible verses or are just written out of
Christian belief. Usually, the lyrics are made out of a personal experience with God.
They are sung in churches all around the globe. Gospel songs may be from any music
genre such as country, rock, rap, or metal. World-renowned artists to compose gospel
songs are Don Moen, Petra, Sonicflood, Michael W. Smith, and Hillsong. (Anonim2,
n.d.)

2.2 Listening

Listening is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying. This
involves understanding a speaker's accent or pronunciation, his grammar and his
vocabulary, and grasping his meaning. According to Bulletin (1952), listening is one
of the fundamental language skills. It's a medium through which children, young
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people and adults gain a large portion of their education--their information, their
understanding of the world and of human affairs, their ideals, sense of values, and
their appreciation. In this day of mass communication (much of it oral), it is of vital
importance that our pupils be taught to listen effectively and critically, he says.

Listening to and understanding speech involves a number of basic processes,

some depending upon linguistic competence, some depending upon previous
knowledge that is not necessarily of a purely linguistic nature, and some depending
upon psychological variables that affect the mobilization of these competence and
knowledge in the particular task situation. The listener must have a continuous set to
listen and understand, and as he hears the utterance, he may be helped by some kind
of set to process and remember the information transmitted. His linguistic
competence enables him, presumably, to recognize the formatives of the heard
utterance, i. e. , to dissect out of the wave form of the morphemes, words, and other
meaning-bearing elements of the utterance.Listening is a receptive skill, and receptive
skills give way to productive skills. (Saricoban, 1999)

2.3 Discussion

In this part will explain about problems and technique to improve listening ability
of student with listening song. There are some issues that are difficult factors of
listening for students. These problems are often frustrating, but not insurmountable.
Here are some obstacles that occur in listening.

 Less concentration in listening

Many people assume that listening is difficult, but they do not realize that
50% listening problems fail because less focus in listening.
 Less understanding accent
In this case there are two accents namely british and american. Between
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the two can be distinguished if we often listen to it either in movies,

conversations, or songs.
 Error choosing a learning strategy
Learning to listen to English is different from the Indonesian language. In
Indonesian, can be interpreted by the word, but in English should be
interpreted based on the existing context in the whole.
 Lack of vocabulary and lack of fluency in pronunciation
If students have the ability to pronounce a good pronunciation and master
many vocabulary, it would not be difficult to hear a language that contains
vocabulary even though almost have similarities in pronunciation but different
meaning.

After knowing what obstacles can hinder listening, it's time to know how to
listening songs can be a means to improve listening skills for students. Songs are a
thing that exists in every part of the world. Start from traditional to modern bandages.
Songs are enjoyed by being heard. Then the media of listening and listening songs
have in common that heard.
But for the students to listen to the song is more comfortable than listening
lessons when both use English. They enjoy and even quickly understand the meaning
in it. Not infrequently also many of them memorized the lyrics in the song that was
heard. This shows that with the media that is fun and not monoton it more prominent.
From the media of interest this can be developed as a means of student exercises that
can be implemented in listening.
Students can develop such a way by recognizing and differentiating between
differences like the accent. There are many songs that have different accents like the
American accented Maroon 5 and The Beatles are British accented. Or by listening to
songs from different musicians, so they can train to sharpen the hearing. This is very
helpful for students in training and supporting knowledge about listening. Listening is
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a science practice not an applied science, so without exercise and practice it is

impossible to achieve.
 CHAPTER III

3.1 Conclusion

Listening song has great role that be one of media to improve student’s listening
ability. Song itself has mean combines melody and vocals, although some composers
have written instrumental pieces, or musical works without words, that mimic the
quality of a singing voice. Song has some types as classical, pop, rock, metal,
country, hip-hop, ballads, dance, love, and gospel. And listening itself is the ability to
identify and understand what others are saying. This involves understanding a
speaker's accent or pronunciation, his grammar and his vocabulary, and grasping his
meaning.

There are some factors that make listening is so difficult for student as less
concentration in listening, less understanding accent, error choosing a learning
strategy, lack of vocabulary and lack of fluency in pronunciation. For the solution
students can use song to improve their ability of listening. Students can enjoy in same
time learning too. So, listening song can be a simple effective way for students, not
only in formal condition, but informal. They knowing and understanding about
language will increase.

3.2 Suggest

After studied and understood the listening abilities for the students and the way
that can be done to improve them that the author has presented in this paper, the
authors advice should try to improve the listening ability by using various media. An
example is like an intermediary listening to a song. Songs can not only rehearse the
mind but also sharpen the hearing. This simple way can be an effective way to
improve the listening ability for students.

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3.3 Closing

By expressing gratitude to Allah SWT who has bestowed HIS grace and HIS
guidance so that this paper can be well disagreeable. Although in the preparation of
this paper is still a lot of mistakes and shortcomings due to limitations that the authors
have. Therefore, the authors expect constructive criticism and suggestions from
readers that are useful for adding mindsets and insights and motivating authors to
become better in the future. Hopefully, this paper can be taken its benefits to its
special author and especially to the readers generally.
 REFERENCE

Anonim1, n. d. Definition of Song (Online). (https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-

is-a-song-definition-examples.html), accessed December 29th, 2017.
Anonim2, n. d. The types of Song (Online). (https://melodyful.com/types-of-songs),
accessed January 05th, 2018.
Saciroban, Arif. 1999. The Teaching of Listening (Online).
(http://iteslj.org/Articles/Saricoban-Listening.html), accessed January 07th, 2018.