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The use of songs in classrooms is not only an excellent way of keeping students interested during lessons, it is also effective in helping students to learn English. Songs help develop students’ listening, reading, speaking and even writing skills. In addition, the use of songs helps improve pronunciation and intonation. The use of songs in classrooms is an approach that can be used with students of any age. However it is important that teachers familiarize themselves with the appropriate ways to incorporate songs into lessons so as to avoid accidentally causing any distractions in class. When teaching younger learners, the use of songs is especially helpful in memorization. Take the classic ‘A B C D’ song for example. Many people around the world accredit their learning of the alphabet to this song. And songs such as ‘Old’ MacDonald Had a Farm’ help children learn the names of animals. Young children tend to learn quickly with the use of songs which is great but, there are some problems that may occur when using songs to teach younger learners. Sometimes the class may become noisy when using songs. The other problem is that teachers may be limited to using nursery rhymes and thus struggle with constructing more creative and diverse lessons with songs. Using pop songs or any other kind of western song is recommended when teaching older learners because many students become familiar with the English language, even before taking formal classes, by listening to popular songs. When teaching older learners, songs can be used in a variety ways such as repetition, drilling, and learning verb tenses (Unit 5 , pg 3). One problem a teacher may have while using songs to teach older students is that students may feel embarrassed if asked to sing a song or express their personal taste in music. Here are some ideas and tips for using songs in class. When using songs with younger learners, rhymes should be used rather than pop songs (Unit 5, pg 3). Rhymes are more effective for teaching young children and due to their age, they are probably not familiar with pop songs. Use movements along with song lyrics. This way, children will also have the help of kin-aesthetic learning (Unit 5 pg, 3). Use songs with strong rhythms (Unit 5, pg 3). Strong rhythms are most helpful in memorization and intonation. When using songs with older learners use songs instead of speaking for activities (Unit 5 pg 3). An example may be students listen to a popular song paying close attention to the use of verb tenses. Then they make up their own lyrics, with attention to correct use of verb tenses, to add to the song. Another idea is to have students copy lyrics from their favorite CD's or MP3's and share it with the class (Unit 5, pg 3). Teachers can also make use of karaoke versions of songs (Unit 5 pg 3). This will be helpful in teaching intonation. Overall, teachers should avoid starting every class with a song, as this may get repetitive. When using rhymes with young children it’s a good idea to make up the rhymes once in a while (Unit 5, pg 3). Take advantage of the fact that the language in songs can be reused in different contexts (Unit 5 pg 3). And always make sure that the songs chosen pertain to the lesson.
