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Teach English in Lingkongshan Zhen - Changzhi Shi

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Songs can be used in language learning by the teacher playing songs for language learners to listen to, distributing song lyrics to learners, and eventually encouraging learners to recreate songs. Songs are useful aids for language learning for three main reasons: they stimulate interest and engagement, they are useful memory aids, and can help learners practice correct pronunciation. They do not suit all learners equally and would be most suitable in cultures in which music is an important aspect of society. They would also be more useful for children learners than adults as children lack inhibitions and need less academic ways of learning to keep their attention. The first reason songs can be a useful aid in language learning is that they stimulate interest in many learners. Many people in the world find music an important and enjoyable part of life, something that they spend a lot of their free time engaged with. When people are having fun whilst learning a language they are able to retain more information as they are more attentive to the lesson. Language learning requires lots of time and motivation which learners will only develop if they enjoy the process of language learning. They are also likely to follow this interest outside of lesson time therefore songs can stimulate individual learning. Songs are also useful for learners in retaining new vocabulary and phrases. Studies have shown that when words rhyme or fit to a rhythm they are remembered more easily by students. Catchy songs particularly will remain in learners’ memory without a lot of effort, giving them more confidence and increasing the words and phrases which are at the front of their mind, ready for use in conversation. Songs also include colloquial words and phrases and therefore can be useful for learning functional language for conversation. As English language songs consist of English words spoken out loud, they are useful for learners’ listening and pronunciation. By mimicking the sounds in a song’s lyrics, learners are able to reduce any accent which they have, learn new phonetics and better understand the stresses in individual words. Practicing stresses in interesting ways is particularly important in teaching English where stress is not clear from writing, due to not using accents. Finally, songs are more useful for some learners than others. Children are more suited to learning through songs as they have less inhibitions and may find learning vocabulary, phrases or pronunciation difficult in a traditional academic way (for example repetition). Culture will also change the receptiveness of a learner to songs as an aid – some cultures prioritize oral learning and music. In these cultures, songs will be most useful. Furthermore, on an individual level, some learners are less comfortable with singing songs in front of an audience and some learners may just not be engaged with music. Teachers will need to be receptive to individual needs when using songs as an aid and not decrease a learners’ confidence by putting them on the spot and expecting too much from them or not understanding their needs.


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