Using Songs in the Classroom

Using music in the ESL classroom is a fun way of introducing and expanding a range of topics.

Songs can be a valuable resource and a great way to consolidate grammatical structures and vocabulary, or to introduce a discussion topic to your class. They are also a vital tool for young learners, as they help develop pronunciation and memorization. Finding relevant songs and preparing a music-based lesson can be time consuming, but it is definitely worth it.

Selecting a Song

As with playing games in the classroom, teachers must make sure that their activities are not just fun, but also generate sufficient language practice. Try and pick a song that has a moderate tempo and contains plenty of repetition. Make sure the vocalization is clear and that the lyrics do not contain too much slang. Songs may also contain words that the students are completely unfamiliar with, make sure you introduce the relevant vocabulary before you start the song. Be aware that songs often contain metaphors and similes and it is important to explain these concepts to your class in advance.

Fill in the Blanks

A common teaching technique is to give students the lyrics with specific words missing. The students then listen to a recording of the song and try to fill in the blanks. Try picking a song with lots of verbs in the past tense. Give the students a list of the verbs in their base form and get them to fill the blanks with the correct tense. This will help students memorize verb tenses and the past form of irregular and regular verbs. You could also try removing whole phrases as this will focus the student's attention on not only the words, but the rhythm in which they are spoken. This activity will help the students develop a clearer and more natural pronunciation style. For advanced students, don't give out the lyrics. Play the class the song and then ask them what it is about. This helps to test students understanding of key concepts.

Example songs for this activity:

• 'Can't smile without you' by Barry Manilow
• 'I will survive' by Gloria Gaynor

Strips of Paper

Write (or print) out the lyrics of the song and cut the words out onto strips of paper. Split your class into small teams and give a set of the cut-up lyrics to each team. Play the students the song and ask them to try and put the words into the correct order. This activity will help with grammatical structures.

Example songs for this activity:

• 'Babylon' by David Gray
• 'Thankyou' by Dido

Pictures

Create some pictures that follow the events of the song and jumble them up. Split your class into teams and get them to put the pictures in order, following the story of the song. This is a good revision activity to make sure your students can listen and identify vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Example songs for this activity:

• 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman
• 'Hurricane' by Bob Dylan

Things to remember when using songs in the TEFL classroom:

• Identify new vocabulary before you play the song.
• Play the song at least twice, so you're students have time to complete activities.
• Try a sing-a-long to get your students practicing pronunciation.
• Make sure you follow up all listening activities with feedback so that your students work is not in vain.