How to Use Songs in Teaching English

Using songs in English class can liven up a topic like grammar, or get quiet students speaking. Most students have at least one song they love in English and most have many. You can use song to illustrate difficult grammar aspects, but you can also use it as a background when students are working on writing tasks. There are also a number of websites that you can use to introduce songs into the English language classroom.

Things You'll Need

  • CD player
  • MP3 player with speakers
  • Photocopies of song text
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Instructions

  1. The Use of Song in English Classes

    • 1

      Ask your students to pick their favorite song in English and do a presentation on it. You can do this over a series of weeks on a schedule or you can make it one entire lesson. The students should bring the song in, play it and then tell the group why they like it, as well as the song's meaning. The other students can weigh in whether they like the song or agree with the interpretations.

    • 2

      Go through your music or download some music that your students are not likely to know. Break them into groups and tell them they are going to practice the language of meetings and negotiations. Next tell them that you are going to play five songs and they need to choose which band they want to sign to their record label. Larger groups can be broken into smaller groups and each group reports to the class which song they choose and why.

    • 3

      Choose a song that addresses some aspect of grammar you want to practice. Type up the lyrics with the verbs omitted. The students need to listen and fill in the gaps with the correct verb conjugation.

    • 4

      Choose music to play in the background while your students work in writing activities. Music can help them remember vocabulary and provide inspiration.

    • 5

      Refer your students to the website, Lyrics Training, for homework. This site uses English music videos that will help improve their vocabulary and grammar skills.

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