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Using Music in the ESL Classroom

"Music is the universal language of mankind."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(...) Students who are taught in a fun and creative way, love coming to class. Using music in the classroom is a great way for teachers to achieve success with L2 learners. Oliver Wendall Holmes suggests taking a musical bath once a week, saying that music is "to the soul what water is to the body."

Benefits of using Music

(...) Studies have shown that music:

- improves concentration and memory;
- brings a sense of community to a group;
- motivates learning through a fun way;
- relaxes people who are overwhelmed or stressed;
- helps people absorb material.

"Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned." Chris Brewer, Music and Learning

Techniques for Using Music with L2 Learners

(...) Music can be used to:

- introduce a new theme or topic (Christmas/colours/feelings);
- break the ice in a class where students don't know each other or are having difficulty communicating;
- change the mood (liven things up or calm things down);
- teach and build vocabulary and idioms;
- review material (background music improves memory);
- teach pronunciation.

(...)

Teaching Kids with Music

(...) Children are natural music lovers. You don't have to convince them that it will help them learn. If you feel uncomfortable singing in front of the class to teach a song, use a tape or CD player. (Don't expect your students to sing if you don't. Remember, that they don't care about the quality of your singing voice, just like you don't care about theirs.) Here are some suggested activities to use with kids:

Transition songs: Teach simple songs that indicate transitions from one activity to another, such as "clean up" songs and "hello/goodbye" songs.

Energy boosters: Teach simple action songs that require kids to stand up and move around. Think of traditional birthday games that use songs, such as pass the parcel (use a classroom mascot or other favourite item instead of a gift) or musical chairs.

Animal songs: Children love learning about animals! Teach animals and animal sounds using repetitive songs like "Old McDonald had a Farm" and "There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly."

Remembering Names: Help students remember names of their classmates (this helps teachers too) with songs like "Willoughby Wallaby Woo."

Alphabet songs: Use lots of different alphabet songs (not just the traditional ABC) to help kids remember them in English. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault is a catchy children's book and song.

Colours: Teach the colours with various colour songs and rhythms, such as Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" or Kermit the Frog's "It aint easy being green."

(...)

Tips for Using Music Effectively

When teaching students a song, it is a good idea to introduce an instrumental version first (If an instrumental version is not available, play the song softly in the background while they are working on something or hum the melody before introducing the lyrics). If students become familiar with the sound of the music first, they will be more likely to understand the words.
Make a vocabulary list ahead of time. Go over the words once before you introduce the song.
Expose students to a certain song many days in a row. Within a few days, students will not be able to get the song out of their head!
Choose interactive songs whenever possible. Adding actions enhances language acquisition and memory.

(...)

These online music resources offer numerous ideas and tips for using music in the classroom.

(de http://www.englishclub.com/)