Jo ENCUENTRO DE FORMACION DE DOCENTES : UNACH SONGS IN THE CLASSROOM Music is a powerful tool in the classroom. It speaks to our emotions while allowing our brains to analyze it and its effects, Songs can change the atmosphere in our classrooms or prepare students for new activities. They amuse and entertain, linking the outside world to the inner world of the classroom Pop music (popular music) is ever present in students’ lives. It is probably one of the most common and meaningful types of exposure that our students in Mexico have to the English language according to Domoney and Harris (1993), More time and attention to pop music. in EFL increases learners’ motivation since students could use their own music, their knowledge and their language to do certain tasks. Music raises student involvement in the Jesson, From a pedagogical point of view music is an excellent vehicle for trying out new ways of working in the classroom. It is more natural and meaningful for learners to speak about their reactions to music. It is also'a good way to get learners to develop fluency as, after an exercise, they may be invited to sing along thus practicing pronunciation and intonation in a non-threatening manner, in the company of their peers and teacher. MUSICAL REACTIONS Fill out the following questionnaire while listening to the music. 1. Ifyou heard this piece of music on the radio would you. a. tumit off? b. listen attentively? ©. Buy the CD? 4. Leave it on as background music? Imagine someone who loves this music. Describe this person using 5 adjectives, Imagine someone who hates this music. Describe this person using 5 adjectives. ‘What emotions does it evoke in you? ween ‘What do you see if you close your eyes as you listen?Suggestions for using songs and music in class Actions While singing 2 song, some students who have not grasped the words well yet, will ceftain from singing it. The solution is to have your students perform actions relevant to the song fyries In this way, the students who do not know the words quite well can participate by doing the actions and be part of the group anyway. Another advantage is the relationship between the words and the sctions which will help in understanding. Por the teachers the advantage is that all students with be participating and that he/she will be able to spot those students who are having trouble with the lyrics of the song and plan remedial action. A typical example of this technique is Rlockey Pokey Drawing ‘Tell the tile of the song to a student and ask him to draw a picture that reflecs it. ft can be done ‘on a piece of paper or on the bourd. The students then try 10 guess the ttle by asking questions or Jjust saying the title suggested by te student's picture. For example, for New York, New York a student may draw two big apples or the map of the USA with a clear mark on New York. Blanks ‘The most popular form of working with songs is inserting blanks in the lyrics on s worksheet, ‘The technique is well known and needs little explanation. What we want iv elaborate about is the ‘way we insert the blanks in the lyrics. It is difficult to find the right place to insert a blank in a song, these are some suggestions: 1. Try not to insert blanks at the beginning of the song. This is when a person is beginning te get acquainted with it, perhaps you should leave some three or four lines complete before inserting any blank, 2. lnsert blanks in the middle or end of the line. 3. losect blanks in place of stressed content words: adjectives. nouns, verbs and adverbs. As we know, the other words Jo not carry the main message of a sentence and are unstressed which will wake it difficult for a leamer to catch, 4. When inserting the blanks in the worksheet, try and give the same length to all the blanks. 5. Challenge students by inserting some blanks instead of unkown or difficult words. 6. Try not to insert two or more blanks together, except when the deleted words fora 2-unit or © collocation, Eg. Bus stop, compact disk, etc. Multiple choice |f your students may find the blanks too difficult, thea provide altematives for each word. Two or ‘three possible words for each blank will be enough. Choose words that sound alike, are written alike or present small differences but that can be spotted only by context. For example they're vs there, stay vs straight, car vs card, etc. Spot the differences Another alternative for the blanks technique is to.change words from the lyrics for other words that, even though they are grammatically comect in the context, are different from the original and. amst be spotted by listening to the song. However, before listening, the stodenis should be challenged to try and find the words that do not yo in the lyrics.Strips of paper Instead of using worksheets with the lysics of the song, cut out the lyrics into several sips of Each strip will have a line of the lyrics. Then play the song and let your students put the lines in order. Some ways to do this axe: \. After playing the soug once or twice have your students read their line o each other and form aline. They shonld listen but not read their classmates’ strips. Then play the song again and let them change positions accordingly. [f you like, you can play the song another time. 2. Avariation would be to ask the students to memorise the line and put the strip in their pockets. ‘This is more effective with more advanced classes and/or with casy lyrics. 3. Ifspace in the classrooms is a problem, then, make a workshect with the lines writi=n om and ask your stadents to put them in order after or while listening to the song. Ask them to compare: their answers in pairs or small groups before playing the song again. 4. Also, you may want fo use the strips alternative but giving the complete song cut ont into strips fo a group for them to put in order. Paragraph re-srranging Cut the Iyrios into as many paragraphs as it has and distribute them to groups or pairs. Ask them ‘o put the paragraphs in order, then play the song and let them check their order. Before playing it a second time, ask them to agree on an order and compare it with another group's. Sentence halves Instead of cutting the lyrics into strips with the lines on them, cut the seotences in halves. Ask ‘your students to put the halves fogether to form sentences and then play the song for them to ‘check their guesses, Speculation, Use the ttle of the song to ask your students to speculate what the song may be about. ‘Altematively, you may write some key words from the lyrics on the board for them to speculate about the sons. This is done well with songs that are-not very popular or well known to students. ‘Speculation can also be triggered by asing pictures of the singes/ group or pictures that convey some ideas expressed in the song. ‘Use this technique in combination with one of the techniques suggested above to work with the tyries since speculation does not concentrate on lyrics but on content and serves as a conversation’ debate inicialiser. Reading ‘The lytics of some songs can be used as reading texts and treated in the same way. Give the text as if it were a poem or a diary entry ( good for lave songs } and ask questions about it: factual questions and specially questions for the students’ interpretation, then play the song. music has lyrics in it The students got distracted and concentration was lost. Musical exercises A.use of background mmsic is to sat the pace for an exercise, Used this technique for Mingles or ‘Walkabout activities. While the music is on, the studenis are walking, when the music stops they form a pair with the nearest person and do the assigned task.