Educators should exercise discretion in what particular types of songs are used in the development of their students. Short songs are most ideal. Songs with a lot of background noise, or singing that is not clear, are not conducive to the process. The best ESL songs also focus on simple, basic English; slang or complex puns will only confuse beginning English learners.
Try a collaborative activity by listening to a short song. Students, divided into groups of three, should have a printout of the lyrics, which also indicates a pause after each line of lyrics. The instructor plays the song on a CD or tape, stopping it after one line has been sung. One group of students explains the meaning of those lyrics to their classmates. This continues until the song finishes, and everyone has participated.
Music sung in English has had an enormous international impact; there are some songs that people worldwide understand, in spite of a language barrier. The popularity of The Beatles, in this regard, can help students feel more confident in English. The band's song, "Hello Goodbye," is an excellent one to use with ESL learners. Teachers should begin by discussing the meaning of "hello" and "goodbye," particularly how students feel when using these phrases. After playing the song, instructors can stage a discussion about the lyrics, determining the problems in communication it describes.
Fairly advanced ESL students can work on creating presentations around favorite songs, as a way to improve their fluency in English. Each student picks a song with straightforward, clear lyrics. They make a printout of the lyrics, deleting one word from each line, leaving a "__" in its place. The chorus of the song should be clearly indicated. The student also creates five comprehension questions for the song. Making enough printouts for the class, the student leads in listening to the song, filling in the missing words, and answering the questions for discussion.