Introduction: How to Use this Website

 

Welcome to ESLtunes!  We are excited to provide you with the most comprehensive music website for English as a Second Language!

 

How to Use Music in the Classroom

Music can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways.  Many teachers use it to prompt discussion or to elaborate on a theme in class.  Other teachers choose to focus on grammatical principles, vocabulary learning, pronunciation practice, and so forth.  Here are a few ideas for you based on the ways in which you may be interested in teaching music. 

 

You will notice that most of our activities/lesson plans follow a fairly basic three-part structure.  First, we give ideas of what to do BEFORE a song is played.  Then, we give a few ideas for what to do DURING a song.  Finally, predictably, we give you ideas of what can be done AFTER a song is played.  As any experienced teacher knows, much of the success of a song used for the classroom depends on how well the teacher structures the activities.

 

Here is a basic rundown of what is perhaps the most common method of educating students with music.  After this discussion, make sure you look at the list of additional activities that can be used to make song-use in the classroom truly original.   

 

CREATE A LYRICS SHEET: Teachers generally present a song by giving students a copy of the lyrics.  These lyrics are often altered in some way:

 

THE CLOZE PASSAGE: The most common lyrics sheet involves the removal of select words from the text.  Generally speaking, a teacher removes words that are the focus of the lesson.  This includes, but is in no way limited to the removal of the most important vocabulary words or grammatical items. A word bank may also be provided, either on the worksheet itself or written on the board. 

 

JUMBLED LYRICS: On a single worksheet, a teacher can change the order of the lyrics, labeling each line with letters (A-Z).  Students are then asked to put a number next to each letter as they hear the song played.  A more complex version of this activity involves having each line of the song cut into strips and then jumbled.  Students can listen to the song only once, but then work in groups to organize the strips into the order that makes most sense to them.  The song is then listened to again in order to check the accuracy of the groups.  The group that is 100% accurate wins!       

 

FUNNY MISTAKES: Rather than creating lyrics with missing lines, a teacher can inform students that there are “mistakes” in the lyrics sheet they have been given.  As students listen to the song they can circle the mistakes or write in the correct answers above the mistakes.  The more absurd the mistakes, the better, as students learn to listen carefully.  For example, if the song said, “I love you girl,” you might write “I love yogurt.”   

 

THE BASICS: No matter how carefully an activity may have been prepared, the teacher must make sure that the activity does not present anything inappropriate (like sexually explicit lyrics for young students) or lyrics that are too difficult (such as impossibly difficult vocabulary with unusual or informal grammatical structures).  Does that mean that a song that has some difficult vocabulary can’t be used?  Not necessarily.  A wise teacher can often predict a few of the most difficult words and explain them to the class before the students listen to the song.  In fact, writing the difficult words on the board and having the students guess the meaning of the words often creates interest in the song itself.    

 

Another basic rule of thumb is to make sure the activity itself is at the appropriate level.  For basic level students, here might be a general game plan for the classic cloze passage:

 

(1) The cloze passage or other worksheet activity is handed out to students.

(2) If the teacher includes a vocabulary bank, the teacher reads each of the words in the vocabulary bank and has the students repeat. 

(3) The song is played twice.

     (4) The students are invited to discuss their answers with their classmates for one minute.

(5) The song is played again and students complete the missing words.

(6) The teacher calls out the correct answers. The students exchange papers, mark       correct answers with a different colored pen or pencil, and then records the scores at the top of the sheet.

(7) The song can be played, one last time and everyone can sing along.  Or, for more timid students, the classroom can divide into pairs and each student can practice speaking the words of the song rather than singing them.                                                                                                                                                                                  

For more advanced students, consider the following variations:

(1) The first time through the music, students are invited to listen to the song without seeing the words.  After the song is played all the way through the first time, they are invited to write down their impressions. 

(2) The first time through the music, students are not allowed to look at the word bank (it can be folded over if it is located at the top or bottom of a page).  The second time through, the words are revealed.  

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES: Perhaps you are a veteran ESL teacher that has experience using music in the classroom.  Or perhaps you are the kind of teacher that loves to create more original ideas when you present a song.  Perhaps you find yourself stuck and unsure about how to enliven your classes.  Regardless of who you might be, here are a few ideas to make the classroom truly your own. 

 

GENERAL TIPS:

a. Consider learning the guitar.  With just a very few guitar chords, an ESL teacher can play literally dozens of songs.  Consider that the www.esltunes.com “Free Lessons through Music,” CD comes complete with a songbook.  Students like the extra touch of a teacher that goes out of his or her way to perform in front of a class, even if your musical skills leave something to be desired.  Students often find any extra effort endearing, and furthermore, you can always enlist the help of a student or group of students if you find yourself in need of additional vocal support.

 

b. Consider having students perform music.  There are few things that can be more personal than having students share or perform music that is important to them.  You can create an even more comfortable atmosphere for students by changing up the classroom rules for the event.  For example, you might consider bringing refreshments or allowing students to sit on the floor. 

 

TIPS FOR PRE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES (BEFORE THE SONG):

 

(1) Introduce the theme of the song. 

            Many ESL teachers get so focused on grammar or vocabulary that they fail to realize that one of the best ways to teach a song is to discuss its meaning.  Introducing a song’s theme can be a way of inviting students to participate in a cultural discussion, say things that they know or feel about a subject, and anticipate the ideas that will be shared in the song.  Even simple songs about love, loneliness, fear, and depression can be used to help students share their ideas and vocabulary.

                        *What words do you think about when you think of the word “alone”?

                        *Have you ever felt alone?  Share an experience with a partner. 

                        *When do people feel alone? 

 

(2) Introduce the composers/singers of the song.

            Singers’ and composers’ lives can be particularly interesting to students, especially when the life story is relevant to the song’s meaning.  Consider sharing biographical information about a composer/singer, or having students do some research on their own.  

 

(3) Use a written prompt.

            Writing a simple question on the board perhaps sounds overly simple, but a gifted ESL teacher can often, as a result, intrigue a class and get the students thinking deeply about a topic.  A written prompt on the board can promote the kind of honest inquiry that good classes are made of.  A prompt need not be complex to be effective either.  Sometimes just asking students to guess what the song will be about, based on the title, is enough. 

 

(4) Use a “news article” warm-up.   

            Bringing in a story, news article, or even an object or group of objects that are related to the song can also help to intrigue students.  For example, for Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind,” a teacher might bring in a short biography of Marilyn Monroe. 

 

(5) Conduct a mini-internet search

            Write down a few topics that can be found on Wikipedia and place these on the board. Give the students 10 minutes to find out as much as they can about those topics. You can even make this a contest, in which the student who finds the information first gets a prize.  After 10 minutes are up, the “fast” student is invited to share, but the other students are allowed to fill in the information that the “fast” student may have missed (the fast student often isn’t as thorough, and thus provides a perfect opportunity for others to “add” ideas).

 

(6) Do a half and half cloze.

            Prepare two different cloze passages and put students in pairs.  Each pair should have both cloze passages.  Students, without showing their partners their cloze passage, will speak their lines to the other student.  When both students feel they have all the words to the song, they can listen to the song to make sure they have the lyrics written correctly. 

 

(7) Be fearless. 

            Music allows teachers the opportunity to change up the normal rhythm and dynamics of a class.  Don’t be afraid to dress up, tell a personal story, or do something else a little out of the ordinary. 

 

TIPS FOR LISTENING ACTIVITIES (DURING THE SONG)

 

(1) Circle the feature.

            If you want to change up the classic cloze passage, one simple variation is to have students simply listen for and circle a particular feature.  You might ask students to circle all nouns, verbs, body parts, animals, days of the week, and so forth.  For advanced students, rather than circle the words have students listen without any written text. The students will write down the featured words they hear in the song. 

 

(2)  Reconstruct the song.

            While listening, have students write down the words that they hear in a song.  Then have them work in groups to reconstruct the precise words of the song. 

 

(3) Match pictures to the song. 

            Have students match the lyrics of a song to pre-prepared pictures. Use clip art to save time. 

 

(4) Perform an action.

            On the second run-through of a song, have students perform an action every time they hear a particular word, phrase, or feature. As with the game “Simon says,” stop the music after the feature happens.  If you stop the music when the feature does not happen, as in “Simon says,” students should not perform the action but should remain still. 

 

(5) Put your ducks in a row.

            Give each student a line from a song and have line up against a wall.  Have students line up in the order that each line is played.  This is a great way to get everyone to participate. 

 

(6) Remove the verbs

            Remove the verbs of the song and give students the base stem of the verb next to each blank.  Students must conjugate the verb according to what they hear.  This can prompt a discussion on verb conjugation and verb forms. 

 

(7) Predict a rhyme.

            Have students practice their vocabulary by predicting a rhyme.  As you play a song, pause the song right before a rhyme and have students predict the next word.  Then, continue the song until they come to the next “prediction.”

 

(8) Predict the ending.

            Stop the song at a point where it is uncertain how the song will end.  Have students guess the ending before continuing the song.

 

(9) Summarize the main points.

            Have students summarize the ideas in each verse.  Then have them speak to a partner and share their summary of the song in under 45 or 60 seconds.  This activity is great for TOEFL iBT practice.  

 

TIPS FOR POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES (AFTER THE SONG)

 

(1) Draw what you hear.

            Instruct students to draw a picture or series of picture based on the song they just heard.

 

(2) Sing the song together.

            Have students sing the song with you. 

 

(3) Conduct a choreography contest. (TPR with verbs)

            Have a contest in which different teams create their own choreography to a song.  Tell students that good choreography helps to show what the meaning of the song is (crossing your heart means “I love you,” and tapping your watch means “you are late.”)  The “best” choreography wins. Often it is best to have students focus on the verbs. 

 

(4) Create an alternative ending

            Have students write an alternative ending or additional verse.  Then select a few of the best student work and perform the song. 

 

(5) Create a speech using the vocabulary bank.

            Have students write a small speech or letter that uses all the words in the vocabulary bank.  You may wish to write up a question on the board that they must answer (Good for TOEFL writing).

 

(6) Free-write your feelings.

            Have students write down their feelings after the song is over.

 

(7) Punctuation performances. 

            Have students listen to you deliver different lines of the text in the form of a normal sentence (.), an exclamatory sentence (!), and an interrogatory sentence (?).  Students must pay attention to your intonation and the structure of the line in order to guess correctly. 

 

(8)  Compare and contrast. 

            Have students watch a music video of the song.  Then have them compare and contrast the music video to the song.